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RAMBLES  IN  THE  PYRENEES 


UNIFORM   WITH   THIS   VOLUME 


THE    SHORES   OF   THE 
ADRIATIC 

Part   I.     THE  ITALIAN  SIDE 
Part  II.     THE  AUSTRIAN  SIDE 


i^        9 


RAMBLES 
IN    THE    PYRENEES 

AND  THE  ADJACENT  DISTRICTS, 
GASCONY,  PAYS  DE  FOIX  &  ROUSSILLON 

BY    F.    HAMILTON    JACKSON,    RBA. 

ADTHOR    OF    "THE    SHORES   OF   THE    ADRIATIC" 


WITH    NUMEROUS    ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    PLANS 
GENERALLY    BY    THE    AUTHOR 


NEW  YORK 
E.  P.  DUTTON  AND  COMPANY 

1912 


NS 


o 


PREFACE 

This  book  follows  similar  lines  to  those  of  my  two 
volumes  on  "  The  Shores  of  the  Adriatic,"  in  so  far  as 
the  places  visited  follow  upon  a  continuous  thread ; 
the  aim  in  treatment  has  been  much  the  same.  Certain 
portions  of  the  districts  are  well  known  to  English 
people,  and  these  I  have  for  the  most  part  passed  by, 
as  my  interest  is  specially  concerned  with  places 
which  are  fresh  to  the  traveller.  For  the  full  treat- 
ment of  the  subject  both  sides  of  the  mountain-chain 
should  be  studied,  the  relations  between  the  districts 
having  always  been  so  close,  and  the  boundaries  of 
jji  the  countries  so  frequently  shifting  ;  while  the  artistic 
influences,  especially  during  the  Romanesque  period 
and  the  flowering  time  of  Catalan  Gothic,  spread  so 
widely  that  the  artists  of  the  French  and  Spanish 
Pyrenean  States  practically  worked  with  the  same 
ideas  in  their  heads  and  pursued  similar  ends.  I  had 
proposed  to  myself  to  include  something  of  the  Spanish 
side  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  for  that  purpose  made  trips 
into  Catalonia,  and  projected  others  in  the  districts 
farther  west  ;  but  it  became  evident  that  the  book 
would  be  much  too  bulky  if  the  scheme  then  projected 


21iaS8 


vi  PREFACE 

were  fully  carried  out,  and  I  thought  it  preferable  to 
limit  the  scope  of  the  volume  to  the  French  side. 

In  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries  the  strongest 
artistic  influence  was  exercised  by  the  school  of 
Toulouse — a  school  distinguished  by  great  dexterity 
in  handling  the  chisel,  and  extraordinary  imagination 
in  the  treatment  of  ornament,  no  doubt  assisted  by 
the  importation  of  Oriental  objects  which  served  as 
models  or  suggestions.  After  the  Albigensian  Crusade 
— that  orgy  of  greed,  blood,  and  bigotry,  which  de- 
stroyed the  cultivated  Court  of  the  Counts  of  Toulouse 
— the  centre  of  artistic  influence  must  be  sought  in 
Roussillon  and  Catalonia,  where  the  Court  of  the 
Kings  of  Majorca  had  spread  the  same  kind  of  culti- 
vation as  was  manifested  in  a  later  but  charming  style, 
in  its  turn  to  be  destroyed  by  the  establishment  of  the 
Inquisition  under  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  after  the 
annexation  of  Roussillon  to  the  kingdom  of  Castille. 

Innocent  III.  was  the  Pope  who  ruled  when  the 
South  of  France  was  destroyed  under  pretext  of  zeal 
for  religion.  Soon  after  he  ascended  the  Papal  throne, 
in  1 198,  he  sent  legates  to  Toulouse  to  endeavour  to 
suppress  the  sect  of  the  Albigensians.  Raymond  VI., 
though  not  himself  an  Albigensian,  took  the  part  of  his 
subjects,  and  was,  therefore,  excommunicated  in  1207. 
In  the  next  year,  embittered  by  the  assassination  of 
his  legate,  Pierre  de  Castelnau,  Pope  Innocent  resorted 
to  extreme  measures.  A  crusade  was  ordered,  and 
Raymond,  who  had  submitted  and  done  penance,  was 


PREFACE  vii 

forced  to  attack  his  own  subjects.  The  war  which 
followed  showed  how  cruel  fanatical  ecclesiastics  can 
be.  Town  after  town  was  taken,  and  the  inhabitants 
put  to  the  sword,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex ; 
numerous  ecclesiastics  with  the  army  supervised 
the  harrowing  proceedings.  It  was  at  Beziers  that 
Abbot  Arnold,  being  asked  how  heretics  were  to  be 
distinguished  from  the  faithful,  answered  :  "  Slay  all  : 
God  will  know  His  own  I" 

This  volume  could  not  have  been  written  without 
the  assistance  of  the  invaluable  publications  of  the 
various  French  archaeological  societies,  such  as  the 
Revue  de  Gascogne,  the  Congres  Archeologique  de 
France,  and  the  Bulletin  Archeologique  of  the  Comite 
Historique  des  Arts  et  Monuments,  which  suggested 
to  me  which  places  to  visit,  and  supplied  useful  infor- 
mation about  them.  From  these  notable  publications 
many  of  the  plans  have  been  copied  ;  they  are  a  mine 
of  information  for  whoso  cares  to  delve  within  them. 
While  these  publications  have  formed  the  basis  of  the 
information  contained  in  the  following  pages,  many 
other  works  have  also  been  consulted,  among  which 
may  be  named  :  Baron  d'Agos'  "  Etude  sur  la 
Basilique  de  S.  Just  de  Valcabrere "  ;  Cenac-Mon- 
caut's  ''Archaeological  Journeys  "  in  the  various  districts; 
Codornin's  "  £tude  Historique  sur  Gaston  Phoebus"; 
Desazars  de  Montgailhaud's  "  La  Conspiration  de 
Gondovald  ";  Joanne's  "  Dictionnaire  Geographique  et 
Administratif  de  la  France  ";  Lamothe  and  Drouyn's 


viii  PREFACE 

"  Choix  des  Types  de  1' Architecture  de  la  Gironde  "; 
Lenoir's  "  Architecture  Monastique  ";  Marrast's  "  His- 
toire  de  Comminges  ";  Masso-Torrent's  "  Croquis  Pir- 
enencs";  Perret's  "  Les  Pyrenees  Frangaises";  Rupin's 
"  L'Abbaye  et  les  Goitres  de  Moissac";  Taylor  and 
Nodier's  "  Voyages  Pittoresques  dans  I'Ancienne 
France";  Vidal's  "  Elne  Historique,"  "Guide  dans  le 
Department  des  Pyrenees  Orientales,"  and  "  Histoire 
de  la  Ville  de  Perpignan  "  ;  and  Virac's  "  Recherches 
Historiques  sur  la  Ville  de  St.  Macaire." 

A  portion  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  volume 
has  already  appeared  in  the  Builder,  but  has  been 
revised  and  to  a  great  extent  rewritten.  I  tender  my 
thanks  to  the  proprietors  for  permission  to  reproduce 
the  articles. 

The  photographs  (as  in  the  previous  volumes)  have 
been  reproduced  from  the  excellent  negatives  made  by 
my  friend,  Mr.  J.  C.  Ashton,  which  are,  I  believe, 
unsurpassable. 

F.  HAMILTON  JACKSON. 

March  12,  191 2. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


HALF-TONE   BLOCKS 

PACB 

Ford   at  St.   Macaire  .  .  -  -  Frontispiece 

Fa9ade,  S.  Croix,  Bordeaux             .             _             _  -  Facing     28 

Archaic  Sculpture,  S.  Paul-les-Dax            -             -  -  ,,46 

Nave  of  the  Church,  St.  Sever        -             -             -  -  .-54 

A  Cripple's  Cart  at  Orthez             -             -             -  -  ,,        9° 

Door  in  Court^-ard,  Castle  at  Pau               -             -  -  .,100 

The  Gave  d'Oloron             -             -             -             -  -  ,.      104 

"  Place  "  at  Top  of  the  Hill,  Ste.  Croix,  Oloron     -  -  ,,      106 
Interior  of  Ste.  Croix,  Oloron        ----,,      108 

A  Group  of  Picturesque  Roofs  at  Oloron  -             -  -  ,,      no 

Cloister  of  S.  Sever  de  Rustan,  Jardin  Massey,  Tarbes  -  ,,      126 

Pulpit  and  Organ  Case,  St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges  -  ,,      146 

A  Spanish  Gipsy,  St.  Lizier            -             -             -  -  ,,176 

A  Wall  Fountain  at  Foix  -             -             -             -  -  . .      200 
Fountain  at  Codalet            -----,,      258 

Door  at  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa             -             -             -  -  ,,      266 

Detail  of  Church  Door,  Villefranche-le-Conflent     -  -  ,,      270 

Corner  of  the  Cloister,  Elne            -             -             -  -  .,      294 

Interior  of  Cloister,  Elne    -             -             -             -  -  ..      298 

West  Door,  St.  Genis  des  Fontaines            -             -  -  ,,      308 

Lintel  at  S.  Andre  de  Sorcde         -             -             -  -  ..310 

The  Bridge  at  Ceret             -             -             -              ■  -  ,,      312 

Door  of  the  Church,  Falalda          -             -             -  -  ..318 

S.  Paul  Serge,  Narbonne,  from  near  High- Altar     -  -  ,,      334 

Tomb  in  Sacristy,  S.  Paul  Serge,  Narbonne            -  -  ..      336 

North  Aisle  of  S.  Paul  Serge,  Narbonne    -             -  -  ..      338 

The  Porte  Narbonnaise,  Carcassonne         -             -  -  .,      358 

ix  b 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


Capitals  in  Triforium,  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse             -              -  Facing  368 

Ornamental  Friezes  and  Figures  in  Museum,  Toulouse     -  ,,      376 

Capitals  in  the  Museum,  Toulouse               -             -             -  ,,      378 

Choir  Stalls,  Cathedral,  Auch          -              -              -              -  ,,      384 

Choir  Stalls,  Cathedral,  Auch         -             -             -             -  .,386 

South  Door,  Cathedral,  Auch         -             -             -             -  ,,      388 

Tympanum  of  the  Great  Door,  Moissac     -             -             -  ,,      400 

LINE  DRAWINGS 

Caps  from  the  Cloister,  Elne           _             .             -             -  rule 
Capital  from  Narthex,  S.  Seurin,  Bordeaux,  showing  the  Ancient 

Shrine-              -              -              -              -              -              -  -       24 

Capitals  from  the  Porch,  S.  Seurin,  Bordeaux       -             -  -       25 

Church  of  S.  Sauveur,  St.  Macaire,  and  Chateau  de  Tarde  -       31 

Corner  of  the  Place  du  Marche,  St.  Macaire             -             -  -       3^ 

Courtyard  of  Despanderons  Palace,  St.  Macaire    -             -  -       38 

Capital  of  Triforium,  St.  Sever      -             -             -             -  -       55 

Capital  from  St.  Sever         -              -              -              -              -  "5^ 

Knocker  of  North  Door,  Cathedral,  Bayonne         -             -  -64 

Church  at  Sauveterre  de  Beam,  from  the  Road  to  the  Mill  -       67 

The  Bridge  at  Sauveterre  de  Beam           -             -             -  -       71 

Monogram  on  Tympanum  of  Door,  and  Tower  Window  of  Church. 

Sauveterre  de  Beam    -             -             -             -             -  "73 

The  Bridge  at  Orthez         -             -             -             -             -  -       82 

Tour  Moncade,  Orthez        -             -             -             -             -  -       84 

House  of  Jeanne  d'Albret,  Orthez               -             -             -  -       88 

Crypt  at  Hagetmau             -             -             -             -             -  -       92 

Capitals  in  Crypt,  Hagetmau          -             -             -             -  95'  9^,  97 

Detail  from  the  West  Door,  S.  Marie,  Oloron         -             -  -     109 

Monogram,  West  Door.  S.  Marie,  Oloron  -             -             -  -     no 

Templars'  Church  atLuz-             -             -             -             -  -n? 

Capital  from  S.  Sever  de  Rustan,  Jardin  Massey,  Tarbes  -  -     125 

North  Door  of  S.  Just,  Valcabrere             .             .             -  -     133 

Choir  of  Church,  St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges        -             -  -     I44 

Cloister,  St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges         -             -             -  -     150 

Church  of  St.  Gaudens       ------     153 

On  the  Road  to  St.  Lizier  -             -             -             -             -  -     160 

Eastern  End,  Lower  Church,  St.  Lizier     -             -             -  -     169 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 


PAGE 


Twelfth-Century  Cap.  Cloister.  St.  Lizier  -             -             -  -  170 

Angle  of  the  Cloister,  St.  Lizier     -             -             -             -  -  171 

Eleventh-Century  Cap,  Cloister,  St.  Lizier             -             -  -  172 

Twelfth-Century  Caps,  Cloister,  St.  Lizier               -             -  -  ^73 

Spanish  Gipsy,  St.  Lizier   -              -              -              -              -  -  178 

Chapel  of  S.  Pierre.  Castillon         -             -             -             -  -  184 

Bethmalese  Costumes         -  -  -  -  -  -186 

Ourjoux.  or  Les  Bordes      -  -  -  -  -  -188 

Fortified  Church,  Sentein  -              -              -              -              -  -  190 

Window  in  Tower.  Sentein  -  -  -  "  -191 

The  Castle  of  Foix              -             -             -             -             "  -  I95 

Ruins  of  Abbey  Church  at  Alet     -             -             -             -  -  214 

Gorges  of  the  Aude.  near  Axat      -             -             -             -  -  219 

External  Arches,  Priory  of  Serrabona        -             -             -  -  243 

The  Narthex.  Priory  of  Serrabona             -             -             -  '  247 

Reredos,  Priory  of  Serrabona         -             -             -             -  "  250 

Wine-Cart.  Prades               -             -             -             -             -  -  256 

Arcade  from  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  at  the  Baths  at  Prades  -  -  259 

Ruins  of  Abbey  of  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa         -             -             -  -  263 

Ox-Cart.  Prades    -               ...---  265 

Villefranche-le-Conflent      -             -             -             -             "  -  269 

Corneilla-le-Conflent  -  -  -  -  "  -272 

The  West  Door.  Corneilla-le-Conflent         -             -             -  -  274 

In  the  Cloister,  Cathedral.  Fine    -             -             -             -  -  297 

Twin  Caps  from  Cloister.  Cathedral.  Elne               -             -  -  299 

Angle  of  the  Cloister,  Cathedral,  Elne        -             -             -  "  300 

Sixth-Century  Sarcophagus.  Cloister.  Elne             -             -  -  302 

Holy-W^ater  Stoup.  S.  Genis  des  Fontaines             -             -  -  307 

On  the  Mountain-side.  Amelie-les-Bains    -             -             -  -  3^7 

Beggars  at  Arles-sur-Tech  -  -  -  -  '  -320 

Rustic  Bridge  above  Arles-sur-Tcch.  and  Women  bringing  Wood 

from  the  Mountains     ----''  32d 

Canal  de  la  Robine  and  Roman  Bridge,  Narbonnc             -  -  328 

C;rapes  brought  in  from  the  Vineyard,  Beziers       -             -  -  34° 

Beziers  :  the  Cathedral  and  the  Old  Bridge           -             -  -  343 

Capitals  of  Ancient  Doorway.  Rieux-Minervois.  now  a  Chapel     -  351 

Lcs  Liccs,  Carcassonne        ---■'"  354 

The  Porte  de  I'Aude,  Carcassonne               -             -             -             "  3.55 


xii  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGB 

Carcassonne  :  the  Cite  from  beyond  the  Aude  -  -  -  357 

Eleventh-Century  Cap,  St.  Papoul             _  .  .  .  363 

Capitals  in  Triforium,  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse  .  _  _  371 

Capitals  in  Triforium,  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse  ...  3^3 

Capitals  in  the  Museum,  Toulouse               -  -  -  -  375 

Market-Square  outside  the  Cathedral,  Auch  -  .  .  391 

Side  of  the  Great  Doorway,  Moissac           .  _  _  .  397 

Part  of  the  Great  Doorway,  Moissac          -  .  .  .  399 

PLANS 
Cemetery  of  S.  Fort,  S.  Seurin,  Bordeaux  -  -  -  -       21 

S.  Seurin,  Bordeaux,  showing  the  Connection  of  the  Crypt  with 

the  Ancient  Cathedral,  St.  Etienne     -  -  -  -       22 

S.  Sauveur,  St.  Macaire      -  -  -  -  -  -       39 

Church  of  S.  Sever  -  -  -  -  -  -       53 

Crypt,  Hagetmau  -  ------93 

S.  Just,  Valcabrere  -  -  -  -  -  -130 

Church,  St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges  -  -  -  -     141 

Lower  Church,  St.  Lizier   -  -  -  -  -  -166 

Fortified  Church,  Sentein  -  -  -  -  -  -     189 

S.  Volusien,  Foix    -------     ig6 

Apse,  Ale t  -  -------     215 

Church,  Espira  de  I'Agly    -  -  -  -  -  -221 

Cathedral,  Perpignan  -  -  -  -  -  -     230 

Priory  of  Serrabona  -  -  -  -  -  -     245 

Abbey  of  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa  -----     260 

Chapel  of  the  Creche,  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa  -  -  -  -     264 

Church,  Corneilla-le-Confient  -  -  -  -  -     273 

Crypt,  S.  Martin  du  Canigou  -  -  -  -  -     282 

S.  Martin  du  Canigou         -  -  -  -  -  -283 

The  Cathedral,  Elne  --.-_-     292 

S.  Genis  des  Fontaines       .-_-._     306 
S.  Andre  de  Sorede  --.._.     309 

S.  Paul  Serge,  Narbonne    ------     334 

Church  and  Cloister,  Moissac  -----     39^ 


RAMBLES  IN  THE  PYRENEES 


The  Districts  bordering  the  Pyrenees. 

The  districts  which  he  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenees  on 
the  French  side  of  the  frontier  were  known  in  the 
Middle  Ages  as  Gascony,  the  Pays  de  Foix,  and  Rous- 
sillon.  Beam  and  Navarre,  the  Couserans  and  the 
Narbonnaise,  may  also  be  included,  with  portions  of 
Guyenne  and  Languedoc.  Under  the  Romans  the 
boundaries  of  Novempopulonia  were  much  the  same 
as  those  of  Gascony,  with  the  addition  of  the  Bazardais, 
a  region  in  the  south-east  of  the  department  of  the 
Gironde  and  the  east  of  that  of  Lot  and  Garonne. 

According  to  the  best  authorities,  the  nine  peoples 
who  occupied  the  country  were  :  the  Sotiates,  con- 
quered by  Crassus  in  56  B.C.,  after  an  heroic  resistance, 
who  then  disappeared  from  the  map  of  Gaul  (though 
some  contend  that  the  district  of  the  Sos  perpetuates 
their  name)  ;  the  Tarbelli,  whose  district  was  inland 
in  the  Landes,  with  Dax  for  their  chief  town  ;  the 
Cocosates,  on  the  seaboard  of  the  Landes  (who  disap- 
peared in  the  time  of  Augustus)  ;  the  Ausci,  round 
Elimberis  or  Auch  ;  the  Venarni,  Beneharni,  or  Bene- 

I 


2      DISTRICTS   BORDERING   THE   PYRENEES 

harnenses,  with  Beneharnum  (Lescar)  and  Iluro 
(Oloron)  as  capitals  ;  the  Eluzates,  round  Eauze  ;  the 
Lactorales,  round  Lectoure  ;  the  Bigerriones,  or  Bigerri, 
living  at  Bigorre  ;  and  the  Garunni,  tribes  of  the 
upper  basin  of  the  Garonne,  among  whom  lived  the 
Convenae  and  the  Consorani,  who  failed  to  give  their 
names  to  the  country  in  the  end.  They  had  two 
capitals,  both  called  Lugdunum.  When  Gaul  was 
organized  into  cities  or  dioceses  in  the  fourth  century, 
the  Novempopulans,  whose  official  name  remained 
Novempopuli,  were  grouped  round  twelve  cities — 
Labourd  (Bayonne),  Acqs  or  Dax,  Aire,  Bazas,  Auch, 
Beam  (Lescar),  Oloron,  Eauze,  Lectoure,  Tarbes, 
Lyon  de  Comminges  (St.  Bertrand),  and  Lyon  de 
Couserans  (St.  Lizier).  They  were  a  mixed  race  of 
Iberian  and  Gaulish  descent,  called  Celtiberians.  The 
Iberian  strain  has  been  strengthened  by  frequent 
invasions  and  raids.  Augustus,  with  the  object  of 
taking  away  their  political  individuality  from  so  tur- 
bulent a  people,  joined  to  them  the  whole  of  the  Celtic 
tribes  as  far  as  the  Cevennes  and  the  Loire,  under  the 
denomination  of  Aquitaine.  After  long  agitation  a 
magistrate  named  Verus  obtained  the  separation  so 
earnestly  desired,  and  on  his  return  home  had  a  votive 
and  commemorative  metrical  inscription  engraved, 
which  is  still  preserved  at  Hasparren. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  Gaul  was  divided 
into  seventeen  provinces.  Novempopulonia  had  then 
been  Aquitaine  III.  for  a  long  time,  with  Lectoure  for 


IN   THE   EARLY   MIDDLE   AGES  3 

capital  apparently.     After  the  organization  into  eccle- 
siastical  dioceses   Eauze    (Elusa)    had   the   first   rank 
under  the  honorary  supremacy  of  Bourges,  the  ancient 
metropolis  of  Aquitaine.     From  419  to  507  the  Visi- 
gothic  Kings  occupied  the  district,  often  holding  their 
court  at  Aire,  and  it  was  from  this  city  that  the  cele- 
brated Code  of  Alaric  was  promulgated  in  506.     It 
was  not  till  581  that  the  Vascons,  a  tribe  from  the 
Spanish  mountains,  appeared  as  invaders  of  the  basin 
of  the  Adour.     A  long  period  of  confusion  terminated 
in  602,  when  an  army  sent  by  Thierry  II.,  King  of 
Austrasia  and  Burgundy,  succeeded  in  bringing  them 
to  terms.     They  had  then  settled  the  country,  as  is 
proved  by  Gregory  of  Tours'  use  of  the  name  Vasconia 
in  his  Chronicles,  finished  before  595.     From  the  time 
of   Dagobert  to    that    of    Charlemagne  the  name  of 
Gascony    was    often    extended    to    the    Aquitaine    of 
Augustus,  stretching  from  the  Pyrenees  to  the  Loire, 
although  the  Vascons  did  not  cross  the  Garonne,  and 
the  Anonymous  of  Ravenna  (seventh  century)  uses  the 
curious  term  "  Spanovasconia  "  to  distinguish  Gascony 
proper.     For  several  centuries  misfortunes  befell  the 
cities   of  this  district.     Gontran  in  585  destroyed  the 
city  of  the  Comminges,  the  third  city  of  Novempopu- 
lonia  ;  Oloron,  Beam,  and  Tarbes  were  ruined  by  the 
Saracens  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  century,  Eauze 
in  727,  and  St.  Lizier  in  736.     Bayonnc  and  Lectoure 
were  sacked  by  the  Normans  in  the  ninth  century. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  tenth  the  towns  commenced 


4     DISTRICTS   BORDERING  THE  PYRENEES 

to  revive.  Beam  was  re-established  in  980  under  the 
new  name  of  Lescurris  or  Lescar  ;  St.  Sever,  with  its 
abbey,  was  founded  two  years  later  by  Guillaume 
Sanche,  Duke  of  Gascoyne,  who,  by  his  victory  over 
Taller  in  980,  cleared  the  Gulf  of  Scandinavian  ships  ; 
at  Lectoure  a  council  re-established  the  bishopric  in 
990  ;  Oloron  was  made  a  feudal  town  by  Centulle  IV., 
Viscount  of  Beam,  and  the  Bishops  soon  reconstructed 
their  cathedral  on  the  ancient  Roman  site,  which  was 
still  unoccupied.  At  Comminges  the  virtue  and  zeal 
of  St.  Bertrand  attracted  a  nucleus  of  population,  and 
the  city  of  Eauze  was  re-established  by  the  Archbishops 
of  Auch,  who,  however,  did  not  re-establish  the 
bishopric,  which  would  have  affected  their  claim  to 
be  Metropolitans  of  Gascony.  This  title,  which  they 
had  assumed  after  the  fall  of  the  metropolis  of  Novem- 
populonia,  was  not  contested  till  the  Revolution.  In 
the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  the  lay  lords 
found  it  better  to  have  capitals  in  which  the  adminis- 
tration might  be  seated,  the  Courts  having  previously 
accompanied  them  from  castle  to  castle.  The  Vis- 
counts of  Beam  had  one  at  Morlaas  from  the  tenth 
century,  which  they  abandoned  in  the  twelfth  in  favour 
of  Pau.  The  Viscounts  of  Marsan  created  Mont-de- 
Marsan  in  1140.  The  Counts  of  Comminges  founded 
Muret  in  the  lower  plains  of  the  Garonne  on  additional 
territory  granted  by  their  suzerains  the  Counts  of 
Toulouse,  and  the  Viscounts  of  Couserans  established 
themselves  at  Massat.     In  1325  the  Counts  of  Armag- 


THE   WESTERN   DISTRICTS  5 

nac  acquired  Lectoure,  and  other  new  towns  were 
built  to  serve  as  capitals  to  other  districts. 

The  union  of  Aquitaine  to  the  English  crown  by  the 
second  marriage  of  Eleanor  of  Guyenne  gave  England 
claims  upon  Gascony,  and  until  the  fifteenth  century 
the  Bazardais,  Bayonne,  and  part  of  Labourd  were 
dependencies  of  Guyenne.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  with  the  object  of  assuring  the 
county  of  Toulouse  to  his  brother  Alphonse  de  Poitiers, 
S.  Louis  reserved  strategic  positions  here  and  there, 
which  from  the  sixteenth  century  to  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  remained  isolated  portions  of  Languedoc 
in  Gascony.  John,  King  of  France,  was  obliged  to 
abandon  Bigorre  to  Edward  III.  by  the  treaty  of 
Bretigny  (1360).  This  was  recovered  by  Gaston 
Phoebus  for  France,  but  it  was  only  under  Charles  VII. 
that  important  annexations  to  the  French  crown 
commenced. 

In  1451  Dunois  carried  Bayonne.  The  Counts  of 
Comminges  died  out  in  1453,  and  the  King  of  France 
succeeded  them,  the  Armagnacs  failing  to  lay  hands 
on  their  lands.  The  territories  of  the  Armagnacs 
finally  went  to  increase  the  domains  of  the  Viscounts 
of  Beam.  Henri  IV.,  whose  patrimony  included 
Bigorre,  Albret,  Marsan,  Condomois,  and  Nebouzan, 
was  the  true  King  of  Gascony,  and  with  him  the  union 
of  the  royal  domain  was  almost  complete.  The  wars 
of  religion  afflicted  Gascony  sorely.  Montgomery  and 
Blaise   de   Montluc   made   of   the   Armagnac,   Albret, 


6  DISTRICTS  BORDERING  THE  PYRENEES 
Marsan,  Beam  and  Bigorre  an  arena  in  which  to  fight 
out  their  bloody  quarrel  ;  the  first  attacking  towns 
and  monuments,  and  the  second  persons.  Gascony 
lost  nearly  all  its  finest  monuments  and  the  best  of 
its  population.  To  such  an  extent  was  the  devastation 
carried  in  some  parts  that  Tarbes  was  converted  into 
a  heap  of  ruins,  and  remained  waste  for  twenty  years, 
and  Rabastens  was  reduced  to  four  inhabitants  ! 

Under  Louis  XIII.  local  administration  was  reduced 
to  system,  though  with  some  curious  complications. 
Many  isolated  pieces  of  territory  belonged  to  Langue- 
doc,  such  as  Sentein.  Nebouzan  was  only  a  series  of 
such  pieces  enclosed  in  Comminges  and  Bigorre.  The 
latter  interlaced  with  Beam,  and  to  this  day  five 
communes  belonging  to  the  Hautes  Pyrenees  are  en- 
closed in  the  Basses  Pyrenees.  The  confusion  of  control 
was  no  less  strange.  Since  1808,  Gascony,  Beam, 
Navarre,  and  the  Basque  country  have  formed  the 
departments  of  Hautes  and  Basses  Pyrenees,  Landes, 
and  Gers,  with  small  portions  of  other  departments. 
Yet  St.  Gaudens  and  small  portions  of  Muret  belong 
to  Haute  Garonne,  Nerac  to  Lot  and  Garonne, 
St.  Girons  to  the  Ariege,  Beaumont  de  Lomagne,  Favit, 
and  Verdun  to  Tarn  and  Garonne.  In  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries  Gascony  formed  (with 
Guyenne)  one  of  the  thirty-three  great  governments. 
The  military  administration,  seated  at  Bordeaux,  was 
the  only  bond  between  the  provinces,  and  Auch  was 
considered  as   the   capital.     Its  boundaries  were  the 


THE   PAYS   DE   FOIX  7 

Gulf  of  Gascony  and  the  Pyrenees  on  the  south  and 
west,  but  on  the  east  and  north,  though  the  natural 
boundary  was  the  Garonne,  between  the  source  of 
that  river  and  the  Salat,  it  is  overpassed,  while  lower 
down  the  Toulousain,  Agenais,  Bazardais,  and  Bordelais 
encroach.  Navarre  and  Beam  are  Gascon  from  the 
ethnographic,  historical,  and  geographical  point  of 
view,  and  Henry  IV.  considered  himself  Gascon, 
though  the  Viscounty  of  Beam  and  the  kingdom  of 
Navarre  still  existed. 

The  county  or  Pays  de  Foix  lay  to  the  east  of 
Gascony,  being  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Pyrenees, 
which  separated  it  from  Spain  and  Andorra,  on  the 
south-east  by  the  Cerdagne,  on  the  east  and  north  by 
Languedoc,  which  also  covered  a  little  of  the  western 
frontier,  the  rest  of  which  was  bounded  by  the  Cou- 
serans.  It,  too,  was  one  of  the  thirty- three  govern- 
ments of  France  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  with  Foix  for  civil,  military,  and  judicial 
capital,  and  Pamiers  for  the  ecclesiastical.  It  included 
about  half  the  present  department  of  the  Ariege,  the 
whole  of  the  arrondissement  of  Foix,  and  the  north- 
east of  that  of  Pamiers,  with  that  town  and  Saverdun. 
Several  secondary  portions  were  distinguished  by  names 
— the  Seron  to  the  west,  Podagues  and  Aganagues  to 
the  north,  and  Sos  and  Donczan  to  the  south.  Between 
Foix  and  Varilhes  is  a  short  and  narrow  defile  named 
the  Pas  de  la  Barre,  cut  by  they  Valle  of  the  Ariege 


8      DISTRICTS   BORDERING   THE   PYRENEES 

through  the  Petites  Pyrenees.  This  divides  the  dis- 
trict into  Haut  Comte  to  the  south  and  Bas  Comte  to 
the  north.  The  mountains  to  the  south  are  from 
6,000  to  7,500  feet  high  for  the  most  part,  but  two  of 
them,  Mont  Calm  and  la  Pique  d'Estats,  are  above 
9,000.  Of  the  passes  through  them,  four  lead  to 
Andorra  and  one  to  the  Cerdagne.  The  north-west 
portion  of  the  country  belongs  to  the  basin  of  the 
Garonne  by  its  tributaries  the  Arize  and  the  Lez  ; 
those  of  the  Donezan  go  to  the  Aude,  and  the  rest  of 
the  district  is  watered  by  the  Ariege  and  its  tributaries. 
The  inhabitants  are  like  the  Ariegeois,  a  turbulent 
race  which  was  long  untameable,  and  which  often  had 
its  pride  reawakened  to  rebellion.  When  the  Romans 
conquered  the  Narbonnaise,  they  were  attached  to  the 
territory  of  Toulouse,  but  the  mountaineers  resisted 
all  attempts  at  organization  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
The  support  of  such  a  warlike  population,  and  the 
possession  of  numerous  strategic  posts  due  to  the 
configuration  of  the  country,  was  likely  to  make  the 
ruler  powerful,  and  we  find  that  in  the  tenth  century 
the  Pays  de  Foix  was  the  most  valuable  possession  of 
the  Count  of  Carcassonne.  In  1002  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  Couserans  and  a  considerable  slice  of  the  Tou- 
lousain  was  separated  from  Carcassonne,  and  thirty 
years  later  this  new  fief  took  the  title  of  Comte  de 
Foix.  Very  strong  castles  were  built  on  the  heights  ; 
those  of  Foix,  Quie,  Tarascon,  Lordat,  Durban,  and 
Montsegur   were   at   the   period   almost   impregnable. 


PHILIPPE   LE   HARDI  9 

While  military  and  feudal  life  developed  thus,  monastic 
life  was  only  represented  by  abbeys  of  the  second 
rank  and  often  maladministered,  such  as  S.  Volusien, 
Foix,  S.  Antonin  of  Fredelas  or  Pamiers,  Mas  d'Azil, 
and  Lezat.  Education  scarcely  existed,  the  people 
led  isolated  lives,  and,  being  always  independent, 
became  the  prey  of  heresies.  Manichean  doctrines 
gained  many  adherents,  and  the  Counts  allowed  them- 
selves to  be  led  away  by  their  subjects,  notwithstanding 
the  interests  which  bound  them  to  the  Church  and 
to  the  King  of  France.  From  this  their  undecided 
attitude  during  the  Albigensian  wars  arose,  in  which 
they  at  first  supported  the  Counts  of  Toulouse,  their 
direct  suzerains,  but  afterwards  abandoned  them, 
although  they  had  seen  Simon  de  Montfort  baffled  by 
their  strong  Castle  of  Foix  at  the  height  of  his  power. 
In  1 27 1  Philippe  le  Hardi,  heir  of  the  rights  of  the 
Counts  of  Toulouse  by  the  death  of  Alphonse  de 
Poitiers,  demanded  the  homage  of  Roger  Bernard  III., 
who  dared  to  refuse  it,  relying  on  the  strength  of  his 
castle,  but  gave  way,  frightened,  before  the  deter- 
mination of  the  King.  He  was  despised  by  his  subjects 
afterwards,  and  aU  the  more  for  the  atrocities  which 
he  allowed  the  royal  administration  to  commit  against 
the  Albigenses,  whose  belief,  however,  resisted  both 
preachings  and  punishments.  He  it  was  who  united 
the  Vicomte  of  Beam  to  Foix  by  his  marriage,  and 
this  union  lasted  one  hundred  years  (till  1391). 

During  the  latter  portion  of  this  period  Foix  was 


10     DISTRICTS   BORDERING  THE   PYRENEES 

ruled  by  Gaston  Phoebus,  a  ruffian,  but  also  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  and  magnificent  Princes  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  much  to  its  advantage.  The  favourite  residence 
of  the  later  Viscounts  in  time  of  peace,  the  hastide  of 
Mazeres,  dates  from  this  period.  Gaston  Phoebus 
dying  without  heir,  the  county  returned  to  Charles  VI., 
who  sold  it.  In  1476  a  marriage  united  it  to  the 
kingdom  of  Navarre,  and  a  little  later  Foix,  Beam,  and 
Navarre  had  the  same  master.  In  1572  this  master 
was  Henry  of  Navarre,  who  by  his  accession  to  the 
French  throne  in  1589  attached  the  county  to  the 
royal  domain.  In  the  sixteenth  century  the  preaching 
of  the  Protestants  had  a  good  deal  of  success,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  in  the  majority  persecution  com- 
menced. This  produced  civil  war  and  dreadful  re- 
prisals. The  Pays  de  Foix  suffered  severely.  Under 
Jeanne  d'Albret  the  exercise  of  the  Catholic  faith  was 
forbidden  in  all  her  dominions.  A  greater  number  of 
Protestants  are  still  to  be  found  here  than  in  other 
parts  of  France,  except  about  Pamiers.  The  Counts 
of  Foix  were  suzerains  of  the  Valley  of  Andorra,  and 
the  Republic  still  owes  allegiance  to  the  head  of  the 
French  Government  as  representing  him. 

Roussillon,  the  third  of  the  main  divisions  of  the 
districts  at  the  base  of  the  Pyrenees,  was  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Languedoc,  on  the  north-west  by  the 
county  of  Foix,  on  the  east  by  the  Mediterranean,  and 
on  the  south-west  and  south  by  the  Pyrenees,  which 


ROUSSILLON  II 

separated  it  from  Catalonia,  penetrating,  however,  into 
the  Carol  Valley,  which  belongs  to  the  basin  of  the 
Ebro.  It  also  was  one  of  the  thirty-three  governments 
of  France  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries, 
and  corresponded  to  the  Pyrenees  Orientales  of  to-day, 
except  for  thirty  communes  which  belong  to  Razes, 
a  district  of  Languedoc. 

At  first  it  only  comprised  the  eastern  part  of  the 
province.  In  the  Gauhsh  epoch  it  was  inhabited  by 
the  Sordons,  from  whom  Hannibal  thought  it  wise  to 
ask  permission  to  cross  the  plains  of  the  Tech  and  the 
Tet  when  on  his  march  to  invade  Italy  in  218  B.C. 
They  had  two  principal  towns,  Elne  (Illiberis)  and 
Roussillon  (or  Ruscino).  In  the  second  century  both 
were  decadent,  but  about  a.d.  320  the  Empress  Helena 
gave  new  life  to  the  first  by  estabhshing  a  bishopric, 
while  the  second  continued  to  decline  till,  in  the  tenth 
century,  it  was  only  the  feudal  castle  of  Castel  Rossello, 
two  miles  from  Perpignan,  which,  however,  gave  its 
name  to  the  whole  district.  West  of  Roussillon  was 
the  country  of  the  Cerretani,  later  known  as  the 
Cerdagne,  on  both  slopes  of  the  mountain  chain  ;  until 
the  twelfth  century  it  had  no  towns  of  importance, 
but  then  the  new  town  of  Puig  Cerda  succeeded  Hix 
as  the  capital.  The  Cerdagne  also  had  a  Count  as 
ruler,  but  the  family  became  extinct  in  1177,  and  it 
passed  to  Aragon.  Five  years  before  Roussillon  had 
been  annexed  to  that  country  for  a  similar  reason,  not- 
withstanding the  homage  due  to  the  King  of  France. 


12      DISTRICTS   BORDERING  THE   PYRENEES 

Towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  Perpignan 
became  the  capital  of  Roussillon,  to  which  Vallespir, 
le  Confient,  le  Capcir,  and  la  Cerdagne  were  also 
attached.  From  1262  to  1344  they  formed  the  Con- 
tinental nucleus  of  the  kingdom  of  Majorca,  created 
for  a  younger  branch  of  the  House  of  Aragon,  and 
recovered  by  it  after  two  expeditions  of  Pedro  IV. 
It  had  then  been  menaced  already  by  Alfonso  III.,  and 
it  was  partly  to  succour  it  that  Philippe  le  Hardi 
marched  on  Roussillon  ;  but  sickness  decimated  his 
army,  and  he  himself  died  at  Perpignan. 

A  second  French  expedition  took  place  in  1475 
under  Louis  XI.,  following  on  John  II.  of  Aragon's 
inability  to  repay  the  300,000  ecus  d'or  which  he 
had  had  from  the  King  of  France.  The  inhabi- 
tants made  a  gallant  resistance  ;  but  when  in  1492 
Charles  VIII.  was  going  to  Italy,  and,  fearing  revolt, 
returned  Louis  XL's  conquest  to  Aragon,  the  Rous- 
sillonais  objected,  and  the  Consuls  of  Perpignan  only 
gave  up  their  city  in  the  following  year  to  their  ancient 
Sovereigns.  There  were  two  more  French  expeditions 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  both  fruitless — that  of 
Henri  11. ,  as  Dauphin,  in  1542 ;  and  that  of  Marshal 
Ornano,  in  1597.  It  was  the  Inquisition  which  loosened 
the  bonds  with  Spain,  and  a  revolt  broke  out  in 
Perpignan  in  1642  in  consequence  of  the  violation  of 
the  privileges  of  the  town  by  the  governor.  When  the 
province  had  offered  itself  to  Louis  XIIL,  the  only 
opposition  to  his  invasion  was  from  the  Spanish  garrison 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   PEOPLE        13 

of  Perpignan.  The  treaty  of  the  Pyrenees  in  1659 
ratified  the  annexation  of  Roussillon  and  the  Cerdagne, 
except  the  portion  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  moun- 
tains. It  was  to  provide  a  capital  for  French  Cerdagne 
that  Louis  XIV.  ordered  the  foundation  of  Mont  Louis 
in  168 1.  The  importance  of  Perpignan  had  been 
much  increased  by  the  foundation  of  its  University 
in  1349,  and  by  the  translation  of  the  bishopric  of  Elne 
in  1602. 

Characteristics  of  the  People. 

The  population  of  the  districts  treated  of  in  this 
volume  is  interesting  as  showing  survivals  of  very 
ancient  races  (for  remains  of  palaeolithic  and  neolithic 
man  have  been  found),  mingled  with  the  flotsam  and 
jetsam  left  behind  by  more  modern  invasions.  The 
Iberian  has  been  considered  to  still  exist  in  the  Basque. 
The  race  is  mentioned  by  Hecateus  of  Miletus  about 
500  B.C.,  and,  under  the  name  of  Aquitanians,  Strabo 
mentions  them  as  inhabiting  the  territory  between 
the  Pyrenees,  the  Garonne,  and  the  Atlantic.  To  the 
east  the  inhabitants  were  mainly  of  a  Celtic  stock, 
the  Voices  Tectosages,  from  whom  Hannibal  asked 
permission  to  pass  in  218  B.C.,  when  marching  to  attack 
Rome.  The  common  language  in  the  eastern  valleys 
is  either  Catalan  or  Languedocian  patois  ;  to  the  west 
Basque  is  spoken,  and  in  the  portions  between  Gascon 
dialects  related  to  Spanish.     The  Roman  domination 


14  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PEOPLE 
worked  for  unity,  and  so  did  the  preaching  of  Chris- 
tianity (about  A.D.  250).  Under  the  one,  dialects, 
founded  on  Latin,  appeared  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the 
acceptance  of  Christianity,  many  popular  naturalistic 
beliefs  still  survived.  In  the  fifth  century  the  Alains 
and  the  Goths  established  themselves  in  the  Narbon- 
naise  and  in  Catalonia.  The  Visigoths  rapidly  became 
civilized,  and  created  systems  of  irrigation,  especially 
in  the  plain  north  of  the  mountains.  In  the  next  cen- 
tury they  were  driven  into  Spain,  after  their  defeat 
at  Guadalete. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  word  "  Cagot  "  ("  dog  of  a 
Goth  "),  which  was  used  as  a  term  of  scorn,  repulsion, 
and  fear  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and  almost  down  to 
modern  times,  was  due  to  the  hatred  of  the  orthodox 
clergy  for  the  Arian  Goths. 

The  Mussulman  incursions  generally  took  place  by 
way  of  the  Alberes,  the  exception  to  the  rule  being 
that  of  Abderahman,  the  fourth  in  order,  which  came 
by  way  of  Navarre  and  the  Basque  country,  for  the 
Basques  had  been  pushed  northwards  and  had  estab- 
lished themselves  on  both  slopes  of  the  mountains. 

The  Arab  type  is  still  to  be  met  with  as  far  north  as  in 
the  middle  valley  of  the  Garonne,  especially  among  the 
women — distinguished  by  a  long  head,  a  slim,  dehcate 
figure,  brunette  complexion,  black  hair,  eyebrows, 
and  eyes.  I  remember  girls  of  this  type,  with  a  fine 
carriage,  in  villages  between  Foix  and  Lavalanet. 
After  the  defeat  of  the  Arabs  at  Poitiers,  the  contending 


RIGHTS  AND  PRIVILEGES  15 

races  were  the  Gallo-Romans  of  the  north  and  the 
Franks,  who  wished  to  impose  their  pohtical  and 
rehgious  organization  on  the  races  of  the  south.  The 
struggle  ended  in  the  thirteenth  century  by  the  crushing 
of  Southern  France  under  the  Albigensian  crusade, 
in  which  the  Princes  of  German  descent  had  the  advan- 
tage of  the  alliance  of  the  Church.  The  Norman 
incursions  had  weakened  and  impoverished  the  country, 
but  the  passion  for  personal  liberty,  so  strong  in  the 
south,  produced  great  differences  between  that  district 
and  the  north.  In  Beam,  Navarre,  Aragon,  and  Cata- 
lonia (for  the  Pyrenees  were  then  no  barrier)  there 
were  constitutional  guarantees  from  the  tenth  century 
onward  which  existed  in  none  of  the  northern  states. 
In  Aragon  the  representatives  of  the  country  invested 
their  chief  with  this  extraordinary  formula :  "  We, 
who  are  each  one  as  good  as  you,  and  who,  united, 
can  do  more  than  you,  establish  you  as  our  lord,  on 
condition  that  you  respect  our  rights  and  privileges." 
The  mountaineers  on  both  slopes  of  the  chain  were 
united  by  "  lies,"  or  "  paxeries,"  in  common  defence 
against  invaders,  whether  from  the  north  or  the  south  ; 
and  in  some  of  the  valleys  the  villages  are  united  in 
syndicates  to  administer  their  property  and  defend 
their  common  interests  to  the  present  day.  This  com- 
munistic procedure  appears  to  be  a  survival  of  the 
"  pagi  "  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  modern 
department  of  the  Hautes  Pyrenees  are  descendants 


i6        CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   PEOPLE 

of  the  ancient  Bigourdans,  while  Roussillon  was  origin- 
ally occupied  by  peoples  of  Celtic  stock,  as  is  proved 
by  the  numerous  megalithic  monuments.  In  the 
fourth  century  B.C.  the  Voices  and  the  Sordons,  a 
mixture  of  Celts  and  Iberians,  were  Hving  in  the 
country,  and  they  appear  to  have  been  the  progenitors 
of  the  actual  inhabitants.  The  coast  was  subsequently 
occupied  in  turn  by  Vandals,  Alains,  and  Sueves,  who 
were  driven  out  by  the  Visigoths  in  473.  They  were 
replaced  by  the  Moors,  who  in  their  turn  were  driven 
over  the  Pyrenees  by  Charlemagne,  who  created  the 
two  countships  of  RoussiUon  and  the  Cerdagne,  with 
lords  of  his  Court  for  hereditary  Sovereigns.  The 
feudal  system  brought  civil  war  and  foreign  invasion 
on  the  two  counties,  which  in  the  twelfth  century 
became  fiefs  of  the  kingdom  of  Aragon  by  inheritance, 
and,  later,  provinces  of  the  kingdom  of  Spain.  Of  this 
subjection  considerable  signs  are  still  visible.  One 
still  finds  its  influence  in  monuments,  manners,  cos- 
tumes, and  even  the  Catalan  type.  Being  similar  in 
origin,  the  Catalan  more  easily  assimilated  its  manners 
and  customs  than  those  of  the  light-haired  northern 
invaders.  After  the  French  conquest  of  1642,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  plain  insensibly  lost  or  modified 
their  pecuharities  of  costume  or  manners,  while  the 
mountaineers  in  daily  relations  with  Spain  have  pre- 
served the  usages,  and  the  type  has  scarcely  varied. 

The  Catalan  of  the  plain  is  rather  smah,  but  well- 
made  and  proportioned,  industrious,  active,  and  very 


CATALAN    DANCES  17 

honest  both  in  commercial  and  private  relations.  He 
is  gay  and  Hght-hearted,  and,  living  pretty  easily,  has 
not  developed  habits  of  economy.  Local  fetes  are 
numerous  in  Roussillon  (some  villages  have  as  many 
as  three  every  year),  and  serve  as  pretexts  for  Panta- 
gruel-like  rejoicings,  to  which  friends  and  relations  from 
neighbouring  villages  are  invited.  They  only  leave 
the  table  to  dance,  which  is  a  favourite  diversion  of  the 
Catalan.  As  soon  as  the  music  begins,  men  and  women 
group  themselves  round  the  ancient  elm,  which  is  a 
usual  ornament  of  Catalan  squares.  The  characteristic 
dances  are  the  "  bail,  contrepas,  and  farandole,"  but 
more  modern  dances  have  also  been  adopted.  When 
we  arrived  at  Vich,  in  Catalonia,  on  a  Sunday  evening, 
we  found  the  people  dancing  in  the  principal  square, 
which  was,  however,  treeless.  On  a  ramshackle-looking 
platform  some  ten  musicians  were  perched,  and  in  front 
of  it  two  double  rings  of  dancers  were  formed,  who 
went  through  various  evolutions,  turning  first  in  one 
direction  and  then  in  the  other,  and  waving  hands 
alternately  as  they  joined  or  separated  from  those 
on  each  side  of  them.  The  rings  moved  in  opposite 
directions,  and  the  steps  involving  much  lifting  of  the 
leg,  the  effect  was  rather  complicated,  though  probably 
each  dancer's  movements  were  tolerably  simple. 

The  Catalan  of  the  mountains  is  more  robust  and  agile 
than  his  fellow  of  the  plains,  and  less  exuberant.  Living 
where  the  struggle  with  Nature  is  more  strenuous,  he 
develops  economical  habits,  and  is  less  pleasure-loving. 

3 


i8       CHARACTERISTICS   OF  THE   PEOPLE 

His  manners  are  simple,  and  religion  is  a  reality  to  him, 
though  the  religious  instinct  does  not  forbid  a  belief  in 
sorcery,  and  he  hoards  traditions  and  legends  of  many 
kinds   in   his   memory.     The   primitive   costume   has 
changed  very  little,  and  one  may  still  meet  peasants 
at  fete  and  market  clad  in  the  little  round  vest  and 
breeches,    shod   with   espadrilles   laced   to   the    knee, 
girded  with  the  red  faja  twisted  several  times  round 
the  waist,  and  wearing  on  the  head  the  traditional 
haratina,  a  kind  of  Phrygian  cap  of  red  wool,  the  long 
upper  portion  falling  on  the  shoulder  night-cap  fashion. 
The  Catalan  language  is  spoken  all  over  Roussillon, 
as  well  as  in  Catalonia,  but  most  purely  in  the  mountain 
districts.     The  women  are  generally  pretty — remark- 
able for  their  bright  eyes  and  beautiful  hair.     This 
latter  beauty  is,   however,   generally   hidden  in   the 
Catalan  cap,  itself  beautiful  by  reason  of  the  valuable 
lace   of   which   it   is   generally   composed.     As   in   all 
countries  which  have  been  under  Roman  and  Saracenic 
rule,  women  occupy  an  inferior  position.     It  is  not  so 
very  long  ago  that  the  wife  usually  waited  on  her 
husband,  and  did  not  sit  down  to  share  his  meal.     The 
women  still  execute  laborious  tasks — transport  wood 
and  stones,  mix  mortar,  or  are  employed  in  quarries  or  as 
masons.     The  drawing  of  the  rustic  bridge  above  Arles- 
sur-Tech  shows  some  of  them  with  the  enormous  loads 
of  wood  which  they  bring  down  from  the  mountains. 
Since  the  damage  wrought  by  the  vine  disease  they  are 
employed  instead  of  mules  at  ColHoure  and  Banyuls. 


BORDEAUX  19 

Of  all  the  people  of  the  Midi  the  population  of  the 
department  of  the  Aude  is  the  most  mingled.  At 
the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Romans  it  was  formed 
by  the  Tectosages  mixed  with  a  Celtiberian  race.  The 
Romans  estabHshed  themselves  in  the  plain  round 
Narbonne  in  great  numbers  and  mixed  with  the  indi- 
genous people.  The  Visigoths  also  made  Narbonne 
one  of  their  royal  residences,  and  Carcassonne  their 
strongest  city  in  Gaul,  while  from  their  time  till  the 
fourteenth  century  there  was  a  flourishing  Jewish 
colony  in  Narbonne.  The  Arabs  occupied  Septimania 
in  the  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  centuries,  and  their 
sojourn  must  have  affected  the  ethnography.  Finally, 
after  the  Albigensian  wars,  numbers  of  adventurers  from 
the  North  of  France  usurped  or  acquired  possessions. 

The  manners  of  the  modern  inhabitants  are  generally 
mild.  They  have  the  reputation  of  being  affable, 
honest,  active,  and  industrious,  but  liberal  ideas  are 
widespread,  to  the  detriment  of  rehgious  belief.  The 
Cathohc  religion  is  almost  the  only  one  professed,  though 
a  hostile  disposition  towards  it  shows  plainly  in  times 
of  political  excitement. 

Bordeaux. 

In  planning  a  book  of  this  kind  some  sort  of  connec- 
tion between  the  places  described  must  be  sought, 
some  thread  upon  which  to  string  the  memories  of 
travel  which  one  seeks  to  set  before  the  reader,  in  the 


20  BORDEAUX 

endeavour  to  recall  and  transmit  the  pleasant  im- 
pressions which  have  so  delighted  oneself  ;  and  this 
connection  I  have  thought  might  be  found  in  the 
circuit  of  the  railway  from  Bordeaux  to  Bayonne  and 
round  by  way  of  Perpignan  to  Toulouse,  thus  returning 
again  to  the  starting-point,  with  occasional  loops  from 
one  point  or  another.  Bordeaux,  it  is  true,  belonged 
to  Guyenne,  of  which  it  was  the  ancient  capital,  and 
therefore  in  strictness  lies  outside  the  proper  limits 
of  the  book  ;  but  it  has  interesting  things  in  it  from 
an  archaeological  point  of  view,  and  it  will  not  be  the 
only  place  to  be  described  which  transgresses  the  limit 
laid  down.  After  all,  it  is  much  more  amusing  to 
occasionally  overstep  a  prescribed  limit,  especially 
when  there  is  such  good  reason  for  doing  so. 

Bordeaux  was  one  of  the  important  cities  of  Gaul 
in  the  Roman  period,  and  was  then  named  Burdigala. 
It  was  the  chief  town  of  the  Bituriges  Vivisci,  and  be- 
came the  capital  of  Aquitania  Secunda,  suffered  from 
the  devastations  of  Vandals,  Franks,  and  Normans,  and 
bore  their  yoke,  and  as  part  of  the  Duchy  of  Aquitaine 
or  Guyenne,  passed  into  the  possession  of  England  on 
the  second  marriage  of  Eleanor  of  Guyenne  to 
Henry  (II.)  Plantagenet.  It  suffered  very  httle  in 
the  wars  between  France  and  England,  and,  like 
many  of  the  other  towns  in  the  district,  became  loyally 
attached  to  its  English  masters,  to  whom  it  belonged 
for  about  three  hundred  years,  and  to  whom  it  owed 
many  regulations  and  remissions  for  the  encouragement 


EARLY   CHRISTIAN    REMAINS  21 

of  its  commerce.  Under  Henri  II.  a  serious  insurrec- 
tion broke  out,  caused  by  the  imposition  of  the  salt- 
tax,  for  which  the  town  was  cruelly  punished  in  1528 
by  the  Constable  de  Montmorency. 

After  S.  Bartholomew's,  a  number  of  Protestants 
were  massacred,  and  the  district  was  disturbed  also  in 
the  time  of  Louis  XIV.  The  Girondins  have  made  it 
famous  by  their  gallant  protest  against  the  tyranny  of 
the  Convention,  and  the  town,  as  the  seat  of  the 
Provisional  Government  for  three  months  in  1870-71, 
and  of  the  National  Assembly  which  accepted  the  pre- 
liminaries of  peace  with  Germany,  was  in  everyone's 
mouth. 

Of  the  Roman  period  the  most  important  remain  is 
the  so-called  Palais  Galhen,  the  west  entrance  to  the 
Amphitheatre,  towering  some  60  feet 
high,  beneath  the  red  brick  arches 
of  which  the  Rue  du  Colisee  still 
passes.  Of  early  Christian  remains 
the  most  important  is  the  cemetery 
of  S.  Fort,  beneath  the  Church  of 
S.  Seurin.  This  has  nave  and  aisles 
with  semicircular  waggon  vaults, 
about  42  feet  long  by  28  feet  wide.  For  half  the 
length  they  are  divided  by  walls ;  then  there  are 
three  columns  and  a  pilaster,  with  one  column  in 
the  wall  opposite  the  centre  column  and  a  round 
arched  arcade  resting  on  fragments  of  antique  and 
Gallo- Roman  columns,   and  caps  which  do  not   fit. 


PLAN  OF  CEMETERY  OF 
S.  FORT,  S.  SEURIN, 
BORDEAUX. 


22  BORDEAUX 

The  tomb  of  S.  Fort,  with  carved  ends  to  a  rounded 
cover,  is  beneath  a  seventeenth-century  canopy  with 
a  coffered  ceiHng.  It  occupies  the  central  division. 
On  the  right  is  that  of  S.  Veronica,  on  the  left 
that  of  S.  Amand  and  several  others.  Against  the 
east  wall  is  a  naked  altar,  and  at  the  west  end  of  the 
north  aisle  an  arch  indicates  an  earlier  entrance.  The 
entrance  is  now  by  steps  from  the  nave  entering 
opposite  the  first  arch  from  the  east.  The  vault  was 
once  decorated  with  white  stars  on  a  red  ground  ;  the 
pavement  consists  of  broken  slabs  and  a  few  thirteenth- 
century  tiles. 

The  ancient  cathedral,  S.  Etienne,  stood  to  the 
north-east,    and     showed    Roman     construction  ;    S. 

Seurin  succeeded  it  in  this  dig- 
nity, and  held  it  till  the  twelfth 
century.  Some  years  ago  the 
Society  of  Fine  Arts  broke 
through  the  apse  wall  of  the 
crypt,  and  found  that  it  con- 
tinued in  that  direction,  and 
was   full    of    sarcophagi.      Be- 

PLAN  OF  S.  SEURIN,  BORDEAUX,  ,i        ,i  n  j_  „ 

SHOWING  THE  CONNECTION  ncath  thc  floor,  too,  are  many 
OF  THE  CRYPT  WITH  THE  garcophaffi,  all  tenanted,  as  the 

ANCIENT        CATHEDRAL,  S.      ^•-^'^  ^^ t"^  ^t)"- i    ""  > 

ETIENNE.  sacristan  told  us. 

There  is  a  great  fete  in  May,  lasting  three  days,  when 
thousands  of  people  come  to  the  tomb.  Mothers  still 
bring  their  httle  ones  and  set  them  on  the  tomb  to 
make  them  strong  !     At  the  beginning  of  last  century 


CRYPT  OF  S.   FORT  23 

the  form  was  to  pass  them  over  and  round  the  tomb 
nine  times  for  this  purpose.  Apparently  they  take  less 
trouble  now !  The  apse  wall  is  of  the  fourteenth 
century.  In  the  apse  to  the  right  (which  is  also 
square-ended),  behind  the  sarcophagus  of  S.  Veronica, 
the  end  of  another  sarcophagus  may  be  traced.  In 
front  of  it  is  a  fourth-century  altar.  Another  against 
the  south  wall  is  said  to  contain  the  heads  of  twelve 
nuns  killed  in  the  Revolution.  Next  to  it  is  that  of 
S.  Seurin  himself,  of  the  fourth  century,  with  cable 
mouldings  dividing  the  compartments,  a  central 
)^  monogram  in  a  garland  of  laurel,  and  panels 
with  a  fishbone  pattern.  There  are  also  two  or  three 
others  with  Byzantine-looking  vine  panels,  a  fourth - 
century  fragment  with  a  mosaic  border  set  in  the  wall, 
and  several  eighth  and  ninth  century  of  the  usual 
patterns.  A  lamp  of  black  earth  hangs  from  the 
vault,  of  which  the  sacristan  said  they  had  ten,  which 
had  been  found  in  the  cemetery.  This  crypt  is  said  to 
be  of  the  fourth  century  ;  tiles  are  encrusted  in  the 
walls  like  those  at  Ste.  Croix. 

In  the  eleventh  century  the  collegial  Chapter  was 
constituted,  and  the  actual  church  commenced  over 
the  ancient  crypt.  The  choir,  with  its  three  fine 
round-headed  windows,  and  the  western  porch  are 
Romanesque,  as  are  the  towers,  though  rather  later  in 
date  ;  one  is  above  the  western  door  and  the  other  to 
the  right  of  the  south  door.  The  Chapel  of  Notre  Dame 
de  Bonne   Nouvelle  was  founded  in   1243   by   Dean 


24  BORDEAUX 

Gaillard  Lambert.  The  fine  south  doorway  is  of  1267, 
and  the  Chapel  of  S.  John,  the  aisles  and  vaults  of  the 
main  building,  are  of  the  same  century,  though  addi- 
tions were  also  made  at  later  dates.  There  was  a 
cloister  to  the  north,  and  a  choir-screen,  which  dis- 
appeared in  1808.     The  whole  church  has  been  restored 

in  modern  times.  The  west 
entrance  is  a  porch  40  feet 
in  length  and  10  feet  6  inches 
broad,  having  three  trans- 
verse round  arches  with 
Romanesque  columns  and 
caps,  the  three  orders  having 
as  many  columns  to  support 
them.  The  subjects  on  the 
caps  are  beasts  and  birds 
intertwining,  with  foliage 
and  one  figure -subject  — 
"  The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac." 
At  each  end  of  this  fagade 
is  an  engaged  column.  The 
cap  to  the  right  shows  the  tomb  of  S.  Seurin  as  it 
was  then.     The  three  faces  are  inscribed  : 

QUANDO   MIGRAVIT   A    SECULO. 

SCS    SEVERINUS. 

SIGNIFICAT  HAG    PETRA    SEPULCRUM    SCI    SEVERINI. 

The  south  door  is  richly  carved  with  figures  and  foliage. 
The  entrance  is  through  a  central  trefoil-headed  door 
with  a  funerary  inscription  round  it,  giving  the  date  of 


CAPITAL  FROM  NARTHEX,  S.  SEURIN, 
BORDEAUX,  SHOWING  THE  AN- 
CIENT  SHRINE. 


26  BORDEAUX 

1267,  the  spandrils  being  decorated  with  flat  carving 
of  vine  leaves.  At  each  side  is  a  bHnd  door,  all  with 
richly  moulded  and  carved  archivolts,  showing  angels, 
creatures,  and  foliage.  There  are  six  orders  in  the 
centre  and  four  on  each  side.  Statues  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  the  Synagogue,  and  the  Gospel  stand  beneath 
canopies,  supported  by  slender  colonnettes  on  a  con- 
tinuous moulding  formed  of  the  carved  caps  of  the 
pillars  in  the  jambs,  which  themselves  rest  on  a  base. 
The  tympana  are  all  carved ;  the  central  one  shows 
Christ  in  glory.  The  total  length  of  the  church  is 
about  208  feet,  of  which  the  choir  occupies  65  feet  ; 
the  width  from  wall  to  wall  is  about  52  feet.  Of  this 
the  central  nave  from  axis  to  axis  of  the  piers  takes 
32  feet.  The  transept  measures  just  less  than  98  feet 
The  width  of  the  choir  is  26  feet. 

Inside  are  an  Archbishop's  seat  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  thirty-two  stalls  of  the  century  before,  with 
satirical  subjects,  reliefs  on  the  high-altar,  and  a  figure 
of  the  Virgin  of  the  same  period,  and  in  the  Chapel 
of  Notre  Dame  des  Roses  a  figure  of  the  Virgin  and 
retable  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Also  some  Roman 
pots,  and  a  sepulchral  chalice,  paten,  and  pectoral 
cross,  belonging  to  a  thirteenth-century  Bishop. 

S.  Croix  is  another  early  foundation  of  considerable 
interest.  The  first  certain  date  connected  with  it  is 
650-660,  when  S.  Mommolin,  Abbot  of  Fleury-sur- 
Loire,  died,  and  was  buried  here.  It  was  then  outside 
the  city  walls,  900  yards  to  the  south,  and  was  therefore 


CHURCH   OF  S.   CROIX  27 

ravaged  by  both  barbarians  and  Saracens.  In  778 
Charlemagne  restored  it,  but  only  to  be  destroyed 
again  by  the  Normans.  It  was  not  included  within  the 
walls  until  1303,  when  Edward  I.  fortified  the  town. 
After  the  Norman  incursions  it  was  again  restored  by 
Guillaume-le-Bon,  Duke  of  Aquitaine.  He  gave  it 
many  estates  and  right  of  sanctuary,  etc.  Any 
damage  done  to  the  monastery  was  punished  with  a 
fine  of  1,000  livres  of  gold,  as  well  as  by  a  most  com- 
prehensive curse.  These  privileges  were  confirmed 
frequently  down  to  the  time  of  Henry  V.,  and  the 
Popes  were  equally  kind  in  granting  privileges. 

The  fagade  appears  to  be  late  eleventh-century,  but 
has  been  restored  in  modern  times  ;  the  drawing  made 
by  M.  G.  Drouyn  in  1846  shows  how  much  has  been 
added.  It  then  consisted  of  the  tower,  with  three 
ranges  of  three  arches  between  columns  and  groups 
of  three  at  each  angle  ;  on  the  level  of  the  lowest  row 
an  arcade  of  four  arches,  with  two  above,  and  the  rose- 
window  ;  to  the  left,  on  the  same  level,  an  empty 
pointed  arch.  Below  these  was  a  projecting  slope  for 
the  doors,  and  two  little  arches  above  each  side-door. 
The  archivolt  of  the  left  door  was  not  fully  carved, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  centre  was  also  blank, 
except  the  innermost  two  arches.  On  the  extreme 
left  there  was  a  pointed  door,  with  a  walled-up  window 
above,  answering  to  the  Romanesque  window  in  the 
lowest  part  of  the  tower  to  the  right.  In  the  eleventh 
century  the  church  had  no  aisles,  and  was  a  Latin  cross 


28  BORDEAUX 

in  plan,  with  three  eastward  apses.  The  bell-tower 
was  an  addition  of  a  slightly  later  date.  At  the  end  of 
the  twelfth  or  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century  the 
building  was  enlarged,  the  aisles  and  the  existing 
pointed  vaults  built,  and  the  facade  altered.  The 
rose-window  is  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  nave 
has  four  bays,  the  arches  being  very  slightly  pointed  ; 
the  caps  are  well  carved,  some  of  them  with  figures, 
both  the  earlier  and  the  later  ;  the  sanctuary  and 
chapels  are  decagonal  externally  ;  of  the  five  windows 
only  two  remain  in  the  original  state.  Two  bays  have 
thirteenth-century  vaulting  shafts  and  pointed  vaults 
with  horizontal  ribs.  The  first  bay  has  great  piers, 
with  columns  attached  east  and  west  ;  the  third  pier 
on  the  right  and  the  fourth  on  the  left  were  enlarged 
polygonally  in  the  fifteenth  century,  hiding  the  original 
plan.  The  aisles  are  lofty — about  42  feet ;  the  transept 
and  nave  vaults  are  nearly  60  feet  above  the  pave- 
ment. The  transept  is  70  feet  long,  the  church  from 
east  to  west  over  180  feet,  of  which  the  choir  occupies 
about  30  feet,  and  the  breadth  50  feet. 

The  tomb  of  S.  Mommolin  was  under  the  third 
arch  to  the  right.  An  inscription  was  fixed  to  one  of 
the  piers,  which  was  flattened  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
iron  rivets  still  remained  at  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century.  The  font  is  carved  on  two  sides  only,  showing 
that  it  was  originally  fixed  in  a  corner.  The  reliefs 
represent  the  Last  Supper,  and  though  the  work  is 
Renaissance,    Gothic   details   appear  in   the   room  in 


^TTfW 


^"^ 


i 


FACADE  OF  S.   CROIX  29 

which  it  takes  place.  On  the  west  wall  of  the  north 
transept  a  tomb  was  erected  to  an  Abbot,  judging  by 
his  dress,  but  the  shields  showing  his  arms  have  been 
torn  away,  and  there  is  no  inscription.  The  base  is 
panelled,  and  the  upper  part  consists  of  an  elaborately 
traceried  arch  and  pediment,  backed  up  with  geometric 
tracery  nearly  to  the  top— a  very  fine  example  of 
fourteenth-century  work.  The  floor  has  been  raised, 
as  the  sinking  by  the  Abbot's  tomb  shows  ;  the  tiles  at 
the  bottom  look  thirteenth  century,  with  a  modern 
border. 

An  inscription  on  the  facade  recorded  a  restoration 
in  1586,  under  Juhus  Salviati,  Abbot  from  1565  to  1607. 
The  inner  archivolt  of  the  central  door  has  groups  of 
birds  biting  quadrupeds  above  them  ;  the  second  has 
two  rows  of  crouching  men  in  a  "  tug-of-war,"  the  two 
figures  at  the  summit  taller  than  the  rest.  Then  come 
several  ornamented  mouldings,  on  the  first  twisted 
branches  with  cHmbing  figures  among  them.  On  the 
next  order  are  signs  of  the  zodiac,  a  seated  figure 
personifying  Nature  at  rest ;  then  the  goat,  Aquarius, 
the  fishes,  a  mutilated  figure,  and  the  bull.  Beyond 
this  the  stone  had  not  been  carved.  Round  these  reliefs 
and  in  the  centre  between  two  fillets  is  an  inscription 
in  Roman  letters  : 

E  »^    JANVA    RIISOL    INCAP    KICORN  °.   .  E   ►J*    F    SO   L. 

The  outside  arch  has  old  men  crowned  and  robed — 
probably  the  twenty-four  elders  — with  angels.     On 


30  ST.   MACAIRE 

the  right  arch  were  four  groups,  three  composed  of  a 
woman,  a  personage,  and  two  serpents. 

The  Porte  de  Cailhau,  the  ancient  gateway  of  the 
Palais  de  I'Ombriere,  a  fine  example  of  late  Gothic  ; 
the  Cathedral,  one  of  the  finest  Gothic  churches  in  the 
South  of  France,  with  the  adjacent  Clocher  Peyberland 
of  1440  ;  the  Church  of  S.  Michel,  with  its  detached 
tower  of  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  ;  and  the 
Porte  de  1' Hotel  de  Ville,  a  relic  of  the  old  town  hall,  in 
its  lower  part  of  the  thirteenth,  and  in  the  upper  half 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  picturesquely  crowned  with 
turret  and  clock,  are  also  noteworthy. 


St.  Macaire. 

Bordeaux  is  a  city  with  which  the  experienced 
traveller  in  the  South  of  France  becomes  very  well 
acquainted,  since  he  perforce  passes  through  it  fre- 
quently, and  may  find  it  a  convenient  stopping-place 
for  the  night.  On  the  occasion  when  we  were  on  our 
way  from  St.  Emilion  to  St.  Macaire,  we  had  several 
hours  to  spare  (at  the  hastide  station  on  the  far  side 
of  the  river),  and,  the  attractions  of  the  cafes  palling, 
determined  to  adopt  a  course  we  had  often  taken  in 
Italy — viz.,  to  travel  by  a  slow  train,  which  gives  one 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  more  of  the  countryside  and 
of  observing  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  country 
people,  who  travel  by  these  slow  trains  a  good  deal, 


32  ST.    MACAIRE 

the  leisurely  conduct  of  the  traffic  and  the  long  stops 
at  wayside  stations  allowing  plenty  of  time  for  observa- 
tion. We  had  calculated  on  reaching  Langon,  the 
station  before  St.  Macaire,  in  plenty  of  time  to  pick 
up  the  quicker  train  from  Bordeaux,  having  allowed 
over  half  an  hour's  margin,  but  at  Preignac,  the  station 
before  Langon,  we  were  shunted,  and  had  the  vexation 
of  seeing  the  train  we  expected  to  catch  pass  us  !  On 
reaching  Langon  we  detailed  our  plight  to  a  friendly 
porter,  who  volunteered  to  obtain  a  carriage,  and  did 
so.  Whether  he  received  a  bonus  from  the  cabman 
as  well  as  a  tip  from  us,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  the  inn- 
keeper at  St.  Macaire  was  indignant  at  his  "  extor- 
tionate "  charge  of  five  francs,  and  did  not  conceal 
what  he  thought  of  him.  Under  his  advice  we  refused 
a  pourboire,  so  the  overcharge  was  not  very  profitable 
to  the  cabman.  The  drive  through  the  gloaming  was 
delightful,  and  St.  Macaire  looked  quite  theatrically 
picturesque  as  we  approached  it,  with  its  towered  walls 
and  lighted  clock-tower  silhouetted  against  the  evening 
radiance. 

In  our  hotel  was  a  young  man,  the  agent  of  a  Co  vent 
Garden  fruit-dealer,  who  had  come  over  to  arrange 
for  the  purchase  of  the  tomato  crops  of  some  of  the 
growers.  He  told  us  that  his  firm  disposed  of  the  whole 
of  certain  fruit  crops  from  growers  here  and  still  farther 
afield,  thus  confirming  the  information  given  us  at  Le 
Boulou  in  a  previous  journey  as  to  the  wide  area 
which  supplies  the  London  market.     Here,  as  in  all 


A   GALLO-ROMAN  SETTLEMENT  33 

the  surrounding  district,  in  which  stations  frequently 
display  the  names  of  wines  well  known  to  the 
Londoner,  the  wine  industry  provides  much  employ- 
ment for  many  people,  and  the  manufacture  and 
testing  of  casks  is  often  carried  on  in  the  open  street, 
providing  groupings  of  workmen  and  apparatus  strange 
to  the  foreigner's  eye,  but  none  the  less  attractive, 
interesting,  and  often  picturesque. 

The  town  lies  on  the  Garonne,  which  formerly  ran 
at  the  foot  of  the  rocks  upon  which  the  high  walls  were 
built,  though  now  some  200  or  300  yards  of  marshy 
meadow  separate  them  from  the  water.  A  flood-mark 
on  the  lower  gate  near  the  washing-place,  about  7  feet 
from  the  ground,  with  the  date  of  June  26,  1875,  shows, 
however,  that  sometimes  river  and  rock  still  join  hands. 
This  rock,  the  seat  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  was 
occupied  by  a  villa  or  settlement  in  Gallo-Roman  times, 
if  one  may  accept  the  legend  round  the  arms  of  the  city 
as  evidence — URBS  sancti  macary  olim  ligena.  The 
discovery  of  certain  fragments  of  mosaic  pavement  in 
1800  lends  some  probability  to  the  legend,  which  is 
that  in  the  fourth  century  S.  Martin  sent  his  friend 
and  disciple,  S.  Macarius,  to  evangelize  part  of  Aqui- 
taine,  who,  with  his  companions,  came  to  Ligena,  a 
town  near  the  mouth  of  the  Garonne,  whence  his 
reputation  for  hohness,  fervent  preaching,  and  miracle- 
working  spread  throughout  Aquitaine.  Dying,  worn 
out,  he  was  buried  by  two  of  his  disciples  in  the  basilica 
of  S.  Laurence.     The  ravages  of  the  Normans  in  the 

5 


34  ST.   MACAIRE 

Garonne  Valley  were  probably  accountable  for  the 
destruction  of  this  basilica,  but  portions  of  the  castle 
appear  to  be  earlier  than  the  eleventh  century,  and  the 
earliest  mention  of  the  place  in  "  Gallia  Christiana  " 
is  in  1026.  This  is  the  date  of  the  gift  of  St.  Macaire 
to  S.  Croix,  Bordeaux,  by  William,  Duke  of  Aquitaine, 
and  his  wife,  Aremberga,  "  with  titles  and  everything, 
law  of  land  and  sea,  and  blood  justice."  The  following 
year  the  body  of  S.  Macarius  was  transported  to 
Bordeaux  and  buried  in  S.  Andre.  The  story  goes 
that  the  lighted  tapers  which  accompanied  the  relics 
in  their  journey  of  eighteen  miles  were  unextinguished, 
notwithstanding  rain  and  wind. 

After  the  marriage  of  Henry  II.  with  Eleanor  of 
Aquitaine,  the  whole  of  Guyenne  belonged  to  the 
English  crown,  except  for  intervals,  for  some  three 
hundred  years.  The  towns  had  an  affection  for 
England,  and  only  became  French  under  compulsion. 
St.  Macaire  suffered  severely  during  the  troubles  of  the 
Fronde,  having  sustained  three  sieges.  Considerable 
remains  of  the  medieval  fortifications  exist,  parts  of 
which  probably  date  from  the  twelfth  century,  including 
two  or  three  gateways.  Towards  the  north-west  a 
good  deal  of  the  inner  wall  remains,  with  the  Porte  de 
Cadillac,  now  known  as  "  De  I'Hotel  de  Ville,"  in  it, 
roofed  with  a  steep  pyramidal  roof,  and  with  a  clock 
in  its  upper  portion.  The  vault  of  the  gateway  is 
pointed,  and  there  are  machicolations.  A  second  gate- 
way pierced  the  wall  west  of  it,  and  there  were  two  to 


MEDIEVAL   WALLS  AND   GATES  35 

the  east.  On  the  riverside  there  were  none.  A  suburb 
on  the  north  and  another  on  the  south  were  also  en- 
closed by  walls,  and  one  gateway  remains,  the  Porte 
Dumas,  a  square  crenellated  tower  with  pointed  vault 
to  the  gate.  Towards  the  river  the  walls  were  built  on 
the  edge  of  the  rocks,  following  their  line  ;  they  have 
buttresses,  and  appear  to  be  of  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries,  repaired  in  the  fourteenth.  The 
castle,  the  Chateau  de  Tarde,  is  on  this  side.  It 
appears  to  have  been  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
to  which  period  the  staircase  tower  belongs,  though 
small  portions  remain  of  an  earlier  date.  At  the  end 
of  the  Rue  de  Turon  is  a  fourteenth-century  gateway, 
with  the  remains  of  a  later  barbican  outside,  and  loop- 
holes for  firearms  in  the  walls  close  by,  while  in  the 
Rue  de  Rendesse  two  gateways  still  exist,  though  that 
in  the  outer  wall  has  disappeared. 

The  Place  du  Marche  is  an  exceedingly  picturesque 
oblong,  surrounded  by  arcades,  some  few  of  which 
have  been  destroyed.  The  houses  date  from  the  four- 
teenth to  the  sixteenth  centuries  for  the  most  part, 
and  give  an  excellent  idea  of  the  aspect  of  the  centre 
of  a  southern  medieval  town. 

The  Palace  of  the  Despanderons,  of  the  courtyard 
of  which  a  drawing  is  given,  belonged  to  an  important 
family,  which  probably  became  extinct  during  the 
wars  of  religion.  A  secret  hoard  was  found  a  few  years 
ago  in  one  of  the  walls  of  the  gaunt,  floorless  rooms, 
with  a  portrait  of  a  young  lady  of  the  family,  hidden 


THE  CHURCH   OF   S.   SAUVEUR  37 

who  knows  how  many  years  ago  ?  An  enormous  fire- 
place on  each  of  the  three  floors  still  testifies  to  the 
importance  of  the  family  which  required  such  large 
accommodation  for  its  members  and  dependents. 

Other  important  houses  are  to  be  found  here  and 
there  in  the  town,  but  most  of  them  now  inhabited  by 
the  poor. 

The  Church  of  S.  Sauveur  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant buildings  of  the  district,  and  by  night  its  massive 
walls  tower  aloft  in  the  darkness  like  grey  chffs,  making 
the  houses  round  look  small  and  unsubstantial.  The 
structure  probably  dates  from  the  twelfth  century, 
when  CaHxtus  11.  sanctioned  the  union  of  the  convent 
with  S.  Croix,  Bordeaux  (in  1122  or  11 25),  for  an 
inscription  giving  the  date  1039,  engraven  in  two  con- 
centric circles  framing  a  consecration  cross,  accom- 
panied by  A  and  Q,  with  square  O's  and  numerous 
abbreviations,  probably  belongs  to  an  older  building, 
being  evidently  not  in  its  original  place.  None  of  the 
details  of  the  actual  church  indicate  so  early  a  date. 
The  plan  shows  an  aisleless  nave,  with  three  eleven- 
sided  apses,  and  crossing  between  them;  the  lower 
part  is  of  one  date  and  the  upper  of  another,  the 
stone  used,  the  construction,  and  character  of  the 
carving  being  unUke  in  the  two  parts.  The  flat  but- 
tresses stop  abruptly  where  the  kind  of  stone  changes 
(at  a  uniform  height),  and  they  are  surmounted  by 
little  monoHthic  colonnettes  crowned  with  vigorously 
carved  caps,  which  aid  the  modillions  in  their  work  of 


2±V^HH 


PLAN   OF   S.   SAUVEUR  39 

carrying  the  cornice.     Some  of  them  are  outside  the 
cornice,  and  support  a  slope  like  the  ordinary  termina- 


PLAN    OF    S.    SAUVEUR,    ST.    MACAIRE. 


tion  of  a  buttress.  Unfortunately  they  are  too  high  up 
to  draw.  M.  Leon  Drouyn  says  that  the  same  masons' 
marks  appear  in  the  bases  of  the  whole  extent  of  the 


40  ST.   MAC  AIRE 

walls,  proving  that  the  plan  is  entirely  of  the  same 
date,  though  the  eastern  bay  of  the  nave  marks  the 
end  of  the  untouched  Romanesque  work.  The  second 
and  third  bays  were  either  finished  or  restored  early  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  as  the  pointed  windows  with 
Romanesque  mouldings  show.  The  westernmost  is  of 
the  second  half  of  the  thirteenth.  With  these  periods 
the  character  of  the  vaulting  ribs  agrees.  The  but- 
tresses to  the  south  terminate  in  one  colonnette,  those 
to  the  north  in  three.  The  windows  are  simple  lancets 
grouped  in  twos,  with  engaged  columns  and  caps 
almost  Romanesque  in  character.  On  the  north  of  the 
western  bay  is  a  walled-up  Romanesque  door,  which 
was  the  entrance  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  town.  On 
the  south  a  pointed  door  led  to  the  priory  sacristy,  and 
another,  higher  up,  is  said  to  have  been  made  to 
enable  sick  friars  to  hear  Mass.  A  simple  Romanesque 
window  lights  the  south  transept,  replaced  in  the  four- 
teenth century  in  the  north  transept,  and  there  are 
three  in  the  apse,  with  carved  caps  to  the  colonnettes. 
The  hexagonal  bell-tower  is  of  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  but  was  heightened  in  the  seventeenth. 

The  western  fagade  is  divided  into  two  stories, 
separated  by  a  string-course  and  finished  with  a  low 
gable,  with  crockets  of  crinkled  leaves  on  the  slopes, 
a  cross  on  the  top,  and  pinnacles  at  the  ends.  The 
fine  rose-window  and  this  gable  are  of  the  end  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  but  the  groups  of  columns  at  the 
north  angle  are  Romanesque,  except  the  caps,  which 


WESTERN   FACADE   OF  S.   SAUVEUR        41 

are    thirteenth-century.     The    door    opens   beneath    a 

trefoil  arch,  and  the  tympanum  has  two  subjects  with 

figures,  divided  by  a  band.     The  lower  subject  shows  a 

row   of   eleven   seated   and   nimbed   persons,  four   of 

them  headless  ;  in  the  upper  Christ  sits  between  two 

standing  angels,  and  a  kneeling  figure  on  each  side, 

probably  the  Virgin  and  S.  John.     Above,  the  archivolt 

is  divided  into  three  orders,  richly  carved  with  figures 

and  foliage.     The  innermost  shows  the  wise  and  foolish 

virgins,  the  three  wise  to  the  left,  with  raised  lamps. 

A  rough  stone,  into  which  the  head  of  a  virgin  sinks, 

terminates  this  half-arch  ;  on  the  other  side  are  four 

foohsh  virgins,  with  lamps  reversed.     The  second  arch 

shows  eight   angels  ;   an  uncarved  stone   at   the  top 

gives  space  for  two  canopies.     The  third  arch  has  also 

eight   angels,   most    of   them   with   censers.     A  band 

divides  the  uprights  into  two  stages  ;  in  the  upper 

only  one  mutilated  statue  remains  on  each  side.     The 

caps  only  of  the  long  colonnettes  are  medieval.     The 

flat  portions  of  the  fa9ade  beyond  the  doorway  were 

decorated,  but  only  on  the  left  side  do  fragments  of 

canopies,    etc.,    remain,    which    have    been    restored. 

The  Huguenots  are  credited  with  the  destruction  during 

the  siege  of  1562.     There  were  some  door-leaves,  with 

their  hinges,  of  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century,  but 

they  have  been  restored,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  how 

much  of  the  original  work  remains.     Several  sarcophagi 

are  encrusted  in  the  walls  at  various  heights. 

The  level  of  the  ground  having  risen,  there  are  now 

6 


42  ST.    MACAIRE 

eight  steps  down  into  the  church.  The  unequal  bays 
are  divided  by  groups  of  columns  engaged  in  pilasters, 
standing  on  circular  bases  ;  the  westernmost  has  a 
loftier  vault  than  the  rest,  and  lighter  vaulting  ribs. 
Apparently  the  south-west  pier  was  rebuilt  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  while  all  the  rest  are  of  the  twelfth. 
The  three  apses  are  divided  into  three  stages,  separated 
by  chequered  string-courses  ;  at  the  base  of  the  vault 
in  the  south  and  east  is  a  cornice  with  dog-tooth 
moulding,  and  in  the  north  chequers  and  a  bonding 
course.  The  base  of  the  wall  has  a  round-arched 
arcade  on  colonnettes  in  all  three  apses,  which  is  re- 
peated in  the  eastern  on  the  first  story,  the  colonnettes 
being  in  the  angle  of  the  undecagon  and  pilasters  in 
the  angles  of  the  piers.  The  bases  have  claws,  and  the 
caps  are  said  to  be  finely  carved,  but  have  been  much 
disguised  with  colour.  The  ornament  consists  of  inter- 
lacings,  figures,  leaves,  and  monsters.  The  vaults  are 
semi-domical,  but  stilted  ;  at  the  intersection  are  ribs 
like  those  of  the  easternmost  bay  of  the  nave.  Ap- 
parently a  cupola  w^as  projected  for  the  crossing,  for 
the  piers  and  main  arches  are  not  in  harmony  with  the 
vaults  which  they  support,  and  are  very  awkwardly 
arranged  at  the  angle,  the  rib  resting  on  a  slab  set 
diagonally  on  the  corner  of  the  pier.  On  the  vaults 
of  the  easternmost  portion  are  paintings  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  unfortunately  restored  in  1825.  In 
the  sanctuary  a  Vesica  piscis,  with  our  Lord  somewhat 
as  in  the  vision   of    S.  John  in  the  Revelation,  but 


S.   PAUL-LES-DAX  43 

seated,  and  with  the  curious  addition  of  a  crucifix 
hung  round  His  neck  ;  a  Last  Judgment,  and  another 
apocalyptic  subject.  On  the  arch  in  front  are  the 
wise  and  fooHsh  virgins.  On  the  crossing  are  the 
Legend  of  S.  John  the  EvangeHst,  the  Annunciation, 
and  the  Assumption.  On  the  arch  to  the  south  is  the 
Legend  of  S.  Catherine,  and  on  the  north  that  of 
S.  James  the  Great,  with  one  or  two  other  figures. 

The  convent  was  destroyed  in  1842,  but  some 
remains  of  the  cloister  still  exist  in  a  cooper's  workshop 
to  the  south  of  the  church,  and  of  the  refectory  beyond, 
which  projects  beyond  the  town  wall. 

Dax. 

A  little  way  from  the  station  at  Dax,  on  an  elevation 
which  almost  looks  as  if  it  might  be  artificial,  stands 
the  interesting  Church  of  S.  Paul-les-Dax.  The  plan 
shows  one  long  nave,  with  choir  and  semicircular  apse, 
around  which  on  the  outside  a  number  of  early  carved 
slabs  have  been  encrusted.  Some  of  the  columns  used 
in  the  construction  appear  to  be  antique,  and  may 
possibly  have  belonged  to  a  pagan  temple  on  the  same 
site.  The  semicircular  triumphal  arch  rests  on  engaged 
columns,  the  bases  of  which  have  claws,  and  the  caps 
volutes  and  broad  water-leaves.  The  sanctuary  is 
lighted  by  three  high,  round-arched  windows,  with 
colonnettes  and  ornamented  archivolts  ;  they  rest  on 
a  string-course,  which  divides  them  from  the    lower 


44  DAX 

part.  Between  the  windows  and  round  the  choir  and 
sanctuary  were  fifteenth-century  paintings  in  a  very 
bad  state,  with  inscriptions  detaihng  their  subjects — 
Adam  and  Eve,  The  Murder  of  Abel,  The  Flood,  etc. 
The  lower  part  is  ornamented  with  a  series  of  niches, 
triangular  in  plan,  with  a  torus  moulding  round  without 
base  or  cap.  The  nave  clerestory  has  an  arcade  of 
grey  stone,  relieved  with  plaster  and  pierced  with  tall, 
round-headed  windows.  There  are  similar  windows  in 
the  aisles  between  buttresses. 

The  exterior  of  the  apse  has  three  compartments, 
divided  by  projecting  buttresses,  with  an  arcade  of 
three,  four,  and  three,  arches  resting  on  slender  colon- 
nettes,  with  caps  of  marble  ;  the  arches  have  a  roll  at 
the  angle  and  billets  on  the  intrados.  The  next  stage 
(above  a  band  ornamented  with  billets)  has  a  window 
in  the  centre  of  each  division,  and  higher  still  an 
oculus  and  cornice,  to  which  the  buttresses  run  up. 
The  upper  string  and  all  above  is  modern.  All  the 
arches  are  round,  and  the  window  openings  have 
a  colonnette  and  cap  in  the  corner  and  a  roll  on 
the  order  above,  flanked  by  a  fillet  on  each  side. 
There  is  a  hood  mould  above,  ornamented  with 
dog-teeth,  and  the  abaci  are  also  ornamented.  The 
most  interesting  part  of  the  building,  however,  is  the 
carving  of  the  capitals,  which  are  full  of  fancy,  and  of 
the  slabs  encrusted  above  the  lower  arcade.  There 
are  eleven  of  these  panels,  arranged  with  regard  rather 
to  the  spaces  to  be  filled  than  to  the  sequence  of  the 


CURIOUS   EARLY  SCULPTURES  45 

events  represented  upon  them — the  work  of  two  or 
three  hands.  The  series  now  begins  with  a  slab 
showing  three  monsters  with  heads  at  the  ends  of  their 
tails  ;  one  is  Hke  a  chimera  with  three  heads,  a  grifhn 
is  to  the  left,  and  other  creatures  below  with  heads  at 
each  end.  These  creatures  recall  those  described  in 
the  ninth  chapter  of  the  Revelation.  Next  comes  the 
Resurrection,  quite  in  a  different  style.  The  sepulchre 
is  in  the  centre  ;  two  angels,  one  bearing  a  lantern, 
flank  it  ;  the  women,  two  on  one  side  and  one  on  the 
other,  are  crowned  and  nimbed.  Between  them,  above 
the  sepulchre,  are  two  hands  holding  censers ;  higher 
still  is  a  hand  holding  a  cross.  Next  come  figures  of 
SS.  Peter,  James,  and  John,  seated,  nimbed,  bare- 
foot and  bearded,  with  a  book  in  the  hand  of  each. 
S.  Peter  has  a  cock  at  his  feet.  This,  again,  is  totally 
different  in  style  from  the  last.  Next  comes  the  Last 
Supper — all  twelve  figures  on  the  same  side  of  the  table, 
with  Christ  in  the  centre,  their  feet  showing  beneath  the 
tablecloth,  the  nimbi  very  small.  At  the  end  of  the 
table,  to  the  left,  are  four  vases,  perhaps  to  recall  the 
change  of  water  into  wine  at  the  Marriage  of  Cana,  the 
symbol  of  transubstantiation.  Next  comes  the  Garden 
of  Gethsemane — (i)  S.  Peter  and  Malchus,  (2)  the 
Betrayal,  (3)  the  Arrest — followed  by  the  Crucifixion. 
Here  the  cross  has  the  arms  raised  above  the  horizontal ; 
beneath  them  are  the  lance  and  sponge-bearers  on  a 
smaller  scale.  There  is  a  cross  above  the  head  of 
Christ,  but  no  circle  for  the  nimbus.     To  the  right,  at 


46  DAX 

the  end,  is  S.  John  ;  on  the  other  side  is  a  saint  with  his 
hands  crossed  on  his  breast,  shoes,  a  bordered  robe, 
and  a  triple  nimbus.  Next  comes  a  crowned  and 
armed  warrior  on  a  beast  ;  its  tail  curls  up  with  a  ser- 
pent's head  to  attack  him  behind,  the  background  is 
covered  with  scrolls.  Next  comes  a  figure  apparently 
bearing  a  napkin  like  a  S.  Veronica,  but  without  the 
face  imprinted  on  it,  with  a  part  of  a  griffin  on  a 
narrow  slab  close  by  which  resembles  the  first  slab. 
Here  are  also  three  beasts,  one  above  the  other,  on  the 
same  panel.  The  last  slab  shows  a  tomb,  a  building 
like  a  basilica,  with  four  arched  doors  of  three  orders, 
and  buttresses  at  each  end,  which  terminate  in  gables, 
with  two  light  windows  and  oculus  above.  Beneath 
the  central  gable,  terminating  with  a  cross,  is  a  window 
or  niche,  with  the  half-length  of  a  saint.  Angels 
descending  from  clouds,  behind  which  are  the  sun  and 
moon,  fill  the  corners.  This  is  the  work  of  the  same 
hand  as  the  Maries  at  the  tomb.  At  Beaucaire  is  a 
series  somewhat  similar.  Here  the  first  panel  is  the 
Last  Supper,  followed  by  the  Crucifixion,  Burial,  and 
Resurrection.  The  subject  of  the  women  at  the  tomb 
is  in  two  parts  :  to  the  left  they  are  buying  spices, 
which  are  being  weighed  out  to  them  ;  to  the  right  is 
the  empty  sepulchre,  with  half-lengths  above  of  an  angel 
and  the  three  women. 

M.  Didelot  quotes  S.  Basil  of  Csesarea  as  saying 
that  the  Bishops  presided,  not  only  at  the  consecration 
of  churches,  but  at  the  preparation  of  their  decoration  : 


■"  ^ 


^ 


•'''■'■    ''  ■^'- 'j^Soi^^atiiii 


**•-'■'••  *^**'"'iSi!U  -'.  ^•SiuA%J:*- ' 


i,.:^ 


X 


-«**.: 


THE  CHURCH   AND   ART  47 

"  The  composition  of  the  scenes,  in  particular,  was 
their  personal  business,  not  at  all  that  of  the  painters. 
The  painter  confined  himself  to  the  choice  of  processes, 
our  Bishops  themselves  studied  the  arrangement  of 
the  pictures,  and  did  not  give  up  the  initiative  to  any- 
one."    So   that    there   was   httle    opportunity   for    a 
painter's  individuality   to   show  itself   at   that   time, 
the  principles  and  rules  of  Art  being  fixed  by  ecclesi- 
astical authority,  which,  of  course,  tended  towards  the 
production  of  a  fixed  hieratic  style.     This  helps  to 
explain  the  similarity  of  subject  and  treatment  found 
in  places  far  distant  from  each  other.     At  S.  Paul  the 
panels  appear  to  have  been  brought  from  somewhere 
else  and  the  arrangement  dislocated  in  the  re-erection. 
There  are  various  opinions  as  to  their  period.     M.  de 
Lasteyrie     thought     them     of     the     tenth     century. 
M.  Didelot  says  eleventh,  basing  his  opinion  on  the 
censers  being  covered  and  with  three  chains — "  in  the 
tenth  century  they  would  be  without  covers,  as  in  a 
tenth-century    ivory    at    Narbonne."       Rohault    de 
Fleury,   however,  gives  several  of  that  century  and 
one   from    a    Greek   ninth-century    manuscript   with 
covers,  though  these  early  censers  are  generally  shown 
without  them.     The  crowns  of  the  Maries  are  of  a 
Carolingian    form.     Near    to    the    church    are    some 
remains  of  a  Roman  aqueduct. 

When  Caesar  arrived  in  Gaul,  Dax  was  an  important 
town,  celebrated  for  its  hot  springs.  It  was  called 
Aquae  Tarbellicae,  being  the  capital  of  the  Tarbelli, 


48  DAX 

the  most  powerful  people  of  Aquitaine.  Augustus 
gave  it  the  name  of  Aquae  Augustae,  and  sent  his 
daughter  Julia  there  for  treatment.  Remains  of  Gallo- 
Roman  fortifications  are  to  be  seen  (on  the  Promenade 
des  Remparts),  i8  feet  thick,  consisting  of  a  curtain 
wall  strengthened  with  round  towers  at  intervals. 
These  are  of  the  fourth  century.  Before  that  time 
the  villas  were  outside,  but  the  incursions  of  the  bar- 
barians made  the  inhabitants  desirous  of  the  shelter 
of  fortifications,  and  their  extent  was  considerably 
enlarged.  The  plan  was  a  polygon  approaching  a 
square,  some  480  yards  from  north  to  south,  by  412 
yards  from  east  to  west,  and  there  was  a  ditch  22  yards 
broad  round  the  whole  extent  except  where  the  Adour 
protects  it.  The  walls  show  the  usual  construction 
of  small  stones,  with  stripes  of  bricks.  When  they 
were  demolished  (between  1855  and  1870)  many 
things  were  found  of  archaeological  interest — coins, 
tiles,  debris  of  marble  statues  and  groups,  inscriptions, 
votive  altars,  etc. — some  of  which  are  preserved  in 
the  museum.  The  "  Nehe,"  the  principal  hot- water 
spring,  is  named  from  the  Gaulish  aquatic  divinity 
who  was  the  protector  of  Dax.  It  was  in  the  Imperial 
bath  built  by  Augustus,  of  which  remains  are  found 
whenever  the  ground  is  stirred  in  this  quarter  ;  but  all 
over  the  town  Roman  remains  underlie  the  modern 
buildings,  while  at  a  depth  of  from  12  to  30  feet  hot 
springs  may  be  found.  It  strikes  one  as  odd  to  see 
a  fountain  in  the  public  gardens  steaming  as  it  throws 


THE  ANCIENT  CATHEDRAL  49 

up  its  jets  !  The  castle  was  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth 
century  on  a  Roman  base,  and  the  cathedral  is  said 
to  stand  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  temple  of  Lucina, 
to  which  the  Merovingian  chapel  succeeded,  which 
was  built  in  511  by  Bishop  Maximus.  Of  this  building 
the  foundations  of  the  apse,  small,  regular  stones  with 
courses  of  brick,  like  the  fourth-century  ramparts,  but 
with  smaller  and  longer  stones  in  proportion,  have 
been  found  by  the  Society  of  Borda  beneath  some 
thirteenth-century  tombs  in  the  cloister  made  of 
stones  of  the  church  of  1050.  Three  fragments  of  altars 
of  the  eleventh  century  are  now  in  the  museum,  which 
were  found  in  a  wall  built  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
They  belonged  to  a  church  which  was  consecrated  in 
1009,  but  Dax  had  a  Bishop  as  long  ago  at  a.d.  hi, 
and  the  bishopric  was  only  abolished  at  the  Revolution. 
The  ancient  cathedral  was  rebuilt  in  1656-1719,  the 
Gothic  building  of  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century 
having  been  destroyed  by  the  Huguenots,  the  only 
portions  preserved  being  the  sacristy  and  the  great 
door,  which  is  now  inside  the  north  transept.  It  has 
well-preserved  statues  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  on  the 
jambs,  and  of  our  Lord  on  the  central  pier.  On  the 
tympanum  is  the  subject  of  the  Last  Judgment,  and 
both  buried  and  cremated  dead  appear  as  sharing 
in  the  Resurrection.  The  arch  moulds  are  decorated 
with  rows  of  figures  under  canopies.  The  Romanesque 
church  was  consecrated  in  1045,  and  became  the 
cathedral  in    1050,   the  first   intra  miivos.     Till  that 

7 


50  DAX 

time  the  episcopal  seat  was  in  the  church  built  near 
the  tomb  of  S.  Vincent-de-Xaintes  in  the  suburb, 
which  still  bears  the  name  of  the  first  Bishop,  and 
preserves  some  Romanesque  portions,  several  ancient 
sarcophagi,  and  the  tomb  of  the  saint — a  sarcophagus 
of  the  tenth  century,  with  a  recumbent  figure  of  the 
thirteenth  on  the  lid. 

At  eight  a.m.  we  entered  the  cathedral,  and  found 
a  Mass  going  on  for  some  girls'  confraternity,  the 
members  of  which  filled  a  good  part  of  the  nave,  many 
of  them  going  to  the  altar.  At  the  end  they  sang  a 
hymn,  and  as  many  of  them  had  good  voices,  and  the 
organist  accompanied  them  with  discretion,  the  effect 
was  charming  and  affecting. 

At  the  station  shortly  after  a  contrast  was  afforded 
when  the  train  for  Bayonne  came  in  bearing  a  number 
of  English  footballers,  some  of  whom  descended  from 
a  carriage  inscribed  "  Dames  seules  "  !  They  were 
very  cheerful,  and  made  a  good  deal  of  disturbance 
on  the  platform,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
French,  who  looked  upon  them  as  **  mad  Englishmen  " 
apparently.  They  were  a  Cardiff  team  going  to  play 
a  match  at  Biarritz,  which  his  late  majesty  King 
Edward  VII.  was  to  honour  with  his  presence. 


A  CENTRE   OF   ENGLISH   POWER  51 

St.  Sever. 

St.  Sever  occupies  an  eminence  which  rises  above 
the  banks  of  the  Adour,  and  may  be  easily  reached 
by  train  from  Dax.     The  carriage  road  winds  up  the 
height    with    many   zigzags,    but   for   the   pedestrian 
there  is   a  long  stairway  with   many  halting-places, 
the  view  over  the  widespread  champaign  broadening 
with  the  elevation  gained,  till  at  the  top  it  spreads 
far  away  into  the  opalescent  distance,  with  hills,  river, 
woods,  tilled  and  untilled  lands,  and  the  dweUings  of 
mankind  scattered  here  and  there  from  one's  feet  to 
the  far  horizon.     The  platform  is  called  the  Promenade 
de  Morlane,  and  on  the  site  there  was  a  Roman  camp 
and  a  castle  for  the  generals,  known  as  the  Castle  of 
Palestrion.     The  town  was  the  centre  of  the  English 
power  in  Gascony,  and  only  became  definitely  French 
after   1442.     There   are   a  few   remains    of    medieval 
fortifications,  and  in  the  narrow  and  winding  streets 
old  houses  occur  here  and  there,  but  the  great  abbey 
church  from  which  it  takes  its  name,  and  which  was 
the  nucleus  around  which  it  grew,  is  the  great  object 
of  interest.     Its  history  is  known  from  a  manuscript 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and 
published  in  1876  by  MM.  Pedegert,  Canon  of  Aire,  and 
Lugat,  Cure  of  Villeneuve-de-Marsan.     It  was  written 
in  1681  by  Dom  de  Buisson,  and  the  monks  continued 
the  notices  relating  to  the  priors  till  1719,  thus  giving 
detailed  information  of  the  later  works  of  restoration. 


52  ST.   SEVER 

The  latest  restoration,  however,  was  executed  towards 
the  end  of  last  century,  and  has  added  many  conj  ectural 
features,  as  well  as  the  recutting  of  much  of  the 
ornament,  and  the  addition  of  colour  to  some  of  the 
capitals  without  much  advantage  to  their  appearance. 

The  abbey  was  ruined  in  the  eighth,  or  towards  the 
beginning  of  the  ninth,  century.  Guillaume  Sanche, 
Duke  of  Gascony,  when  attacked  by  the  Normans, 
vowed  at  the  tomb  of  S.  Sever  to  submit  himself 
and  his  lands  to  the  saint  in  the  event  of  victory,  at 
the  same  time  engaging  to  replace  the  humble  monas- 
tery chapel  with  a  splendid  building.  This  church 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  Gregory,  Abbot  from  1028 
to  1072,  rebuilt  it  on  a  larger  scale,  and  had  it  con- 
secrated, and  of  the  later  church  a  considerable  part 
still  stands.  No  doubt  it  suffered  in  the  siege  of  1295, 
and  in  the  fire  which  consumed  a  considerable  part  of 
the  town  in  1360,  from  the  earthquake  of  1372,  and, 
worst  of  all,  from  the  sack  of  the  town  in  1435  by  the 
troops  of  Charles  VII.,  who  almost  destroyed  the 
monastery.  The  wars  of  religion,  too,  were  disastrous. 
In  1569  a  party  of  Huguenots  took  the  town,  and  killed 
the  monks,  one  of  whom  was  obliged  to  dig  his  own 
grave.  Documents  state  that  the  altars,  choir,  organ, 
and  font  were  destroyed,  the  treasure  pillaged  (valued 
at  more  than  100,000  francs),  and  a  list  of  the  losses 
is  given.  They  are  also  reported  to  have  tried  to 
destroy  the  church  by  mining  it.  It  remained  desolate 
till  1681,  when  an  Easter  Mass  was  celebrated  for  the 


THE   ABBEY  CHURCH  53 

first  time  since  the  destruction.  The  great  west  door 
was  rebuilt  in  1684.  This  facade  has  been  restored 
several  times,  and  the  variety  of  style  is  very  notice- 
able. One  of  the  doorways  added  to  it  was  insuffi- 
ciently attached  to  the 
body  of  the  wall,  and  fell 
down,  killing  several 
people. 

The  plan  shows  a  nave 
and  aisles  of  five  bays, 
a  transept  which  projects 
a  good  deal,  being  about 
120  feet  across,  as  against 
a  width  of  60  feet  for  the 
nave,  a  choir  of  two  bays 
beyond  the  transept  with 
a  longish  apse,  and  three 
smaller  apses  on  each  side 
arranged  en  echelon,  the 
lengths  of  these  apses 
being  respectively  about 
10  feet,  32  feet,  and  55 
feet,     while    the     centre 

apse  is  84  feet.  Less  developed  instances  of  the 
same  kind  of  plan  occur  in  other  parts  of  the  south- 
west of  France,  as,  for  instance,  at  La  Sauve.  A 
good  deal  of  this  end  of  the  church  is  modern.  The 
crossing  of  the  transept  is  covered  with  a  round- 
arched   waggon  vault,  like   the  nave  and  the  choir. 


PLAN    OF    CHURCH    OF    ST.    SEVER. 


54  ST.   SEVER 

with  sustaining  arches.  This  part  has  a  billet  cornice, 
and  is  perhaps  original.  The  arch  giving  on  to  the 
north  arm  is  round,  that  on  the  south  pointed,  but  the 
vaults  are  both  pointed  waggon,  with  one  sustaining 
arch  resting  on  a  double  corbel.  All  the  other  arches 
in  the  transept  are  round.  In  the  west  wall,  on  the 
north  side,  is  a  gallery  opening  by  a  twin  window  with 
a  central  colonnette,  and  three  smaller  lights  side  by 
side.  Across  the  end  runs  an  arcaded  gallery  of  four 
arches,  supported  upon  two  arches  and  one  small 
column,  the  base  of  which  is  of  marble,  and  antique. 
The  corresponding  gallery  on  the  south  is  modern. 
The  nave  vault  is  a  round-arched  waggon  with  sup- 
porting arches.  The  easternmost  pair  of  arches  of 
the  arcade  are  round ;  they  have  two  orders.  The  others 
are  pointed,  and  the  angles  of  the  orders  chamfered 
off.  The  windows  of  the  clerestory  have  been  restored 
as  cusped  oculi.  The  three  last  piers  are  cylindrical, 
with  the  vaulting  ribs  starting  from  Gothic  brackets  ; 
the  others  are  Romanesque,  square,  with  engaged 
columns,  except  towards  the  nave,  where  the  column 
is  replaced  by  a  more  elaborate  arrangement.  In  the 
aisles  are  two  Romanesque  windows  and  vaults  of 
various  ages,  only  one  bay  being  Romanesque.  The 
organ  is  supported  on  a  ribbed  vault  ;  it  is  the  work 
of  Dom  Bedos,  a  Benedictine  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  is  classed  as  an  historical  monument.  The  most 
curious  detail  in  the  church  is  the  presence  of  chapels 
on  the  triforium  level,  which  are  proved  to  be  original. 


NA\K   OF    llll'.    <  lirK(  II,    .->l'.    SK\KK 


'lo  face  paRC    <. 


THE   NAVE  55 

on  the  north  side,  by  the  masonry,  the  presence  of  the 
gallery,  and  the  size  and  position  of  the  windows, 
some  of  which  belong  to  the  earliest  period.  The 
passage  above  the  aisles  occupies  the  place  of  a  tri- 
forium,  the  engaged  columns  of  which  were  discovered 
in  the  course  of  the  latest  restoration,  and  the  arches 
and  central  colonnette  replaced  in  accordance  with 
their  style.  The  vault  of  the  nave  is  of  the  same 
height  as  it  has  always  been,  but  the  building  has  either 
been  carelessly  con- 
structed or  built  by 
insufficiently  trained 
masons,  for  the  differ- 
ence in  the  technique  of 
the  upright  wall  and  the 
vaulting  is  extraordinary. 
It  owes  its  fine  effect  to 
the  loftiness  of  its  nave 
and  width  of  the  spans  of 
the  vaulting,  and  to  its 
proportions. 

The  decoration  remain- 
ing consists  of  sculpture,  the  collection  of  capitals 
being  interesting,  and  reminding  one,  in  the  orna- 
ment, of  Moissac  and  Hagetmau.  Unfortunately, 
a  good  many  have  been  recut.  A  few  are  antique, 
such  as  the  two  of  the  north  door  and  one  of 
those  of  the  second  north  absidiole.  Many  of  them 
are    covered   with    figures    and   portions    of    animals 


CAPITAL    OF    TRIFORIUM,    ST.    SEVER. 


56  ST.   SEVER 

emergent  from  leaves,  producing  a  very  rich  effect. 
M.  Brutails  says  there  is  a  hkeness  to  the  fantastic 
miniatures  in  an  Apocalypse  in  the  Bibliotheque 
Nationale,  which  came  from  the  Abbey  of  St.  Sever, 
and  is  of  the  period  of  the  Abbot  who  built  the  church. 
The  north  door  has  a  medieval  relief  in  the  tympanum 
— a  Majesty  attended  by  angels.     The  vault  of  the 


CAPITAL    FROM    ST.    SEVER. 


south  aisle  is  fourteenth-century,  and  probably  due 
to  repairs  after  the  earthquake  of  1372.  Apparently, 
when  the  French  army  almost  destroyed  the  monastery 
in  1435,  the  nave  was  partly  thrown  down.  The 
fifteenth-century  repairs  are  very  important.  The 
three  cylindrical  piers  were  built,  and  perhaps  the 
engaged  polygonal  pier  in  the  south  aisle.     The  vaults 


REPAIRS  AND  ALTERATIONS  57 

of  the  aisles  were  rebuilt,  except  the  two  eastern  bays 
on  the  south,  and  the  nave  walls  from  the  starting  of 
the  main  arcades,  the  Romanesque  piers  being  left  and 
new  vaults  thrown  across.  At  this  time  the  triforium 
disappeared.  The  nave  arcade  is  mostly  Gothic  in 
style,  as  well  as  the  windows  and  a  great  part  of  the 
cornice,  while  the  masonry  of  the  piers  and  the  signs 
of  alterations  show  that  they  are  Romanesque,  except 
the  cyhndrical  ones.  The  choir  has  been  done  up  in 
Renaissance  style,  and  there  is  some  fuh-coloured 
stained  glass  towards  the  east  end  which  makes  the 
detail  of  the  caps  difficult  to  see  (though  they  have 
been  coloured,  one  supposes  to  make  the  design  clearer), 
especially  in  the  transept  chapels.  The  tower  above 
the  transept  is  square,  with  a  httle  bell-turret  on  the 
roof  and  openings  beneath  it  like  the  lofts  beneath  the 
roofs  of  many  Italian  towers. 

The  Bishop  used  to  have  his  seat  at  Aire-sur-T  Adour, 
but  at  the  time  of  the  expulsion  from  the  seminaries 
moved  it  hither.  There  was  High-Mass  at  10.30,  at 
which  he  celebrated,  and  gave  the  episcopal  benedic- 
tion. The  church  was  crowded  with  a  devout  con- 
gregation, both  of  men  and  women,  and  among  them 
one  observed  many  fine  heads.  Some  of  the  music 
was  very  good,  especially  an  organ  solo  based  upon 
a  bagpipe  tune,  very  delicate  and  fanciful. 

The  finest  Gallo-Roman  mosaic  in  private  hands  in 
France  is  said  to  be  that  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Sentex, 
at  St.  Sever.     We,  unfortunately,  did  not  know  of  it 


58  ST.   SEVER 

till  after  we  had  visited  the  town.  It  covers  the  floor 
of  the  vestibule  of  his  house,  the  salle-d-manger,  and 
two  other  rooms,  the  design  embracing  fishes  and  differ- 
ent objects,  with  interlacing  patterns.  It  v/as  found 
at  Daugreilh,  a  quarter  of  St.  Sever.  At  a  cafe  in  the 
principal  square,  where  we  rested  for  a  time,  a  monkey 
was  kept  in  a  cage  in  the  open  air,  a  lively  and  amusing 
beast.  Close  by  was  a  notice  chalked  on  a  kennel, 
*'  A  vendre,"  which  we  thought  referred  to  the  monkey, 
but  inquiries  as  to  price  only  met  with  rebuffs.  The 
climate  must  be  tolerably  mild,  in  spite  of  the  elevation 
of  the  town,  for  this  monkey  lived  out  of  doors  all  the 
winter  !  Down  by  the  station  was  a  cottage  sur- 
rounded with  a  flowering  mimosa,  which  we  are  glad 
to  buy  before  spring  flowers  become  plentiful,  backed 
up  beautifully  with  dark  bay  and  ilex  bushes.  The 
westering  sun  was  beginning  to  tinge  the  clouds  with 
rosy  colour  as  we  returned  to  Dax,  with  the  remem- 
brance of  another  charming  day  to  add  to  the  store 
of  pleasant  memories  laid  up  to  lighten  the  dark  days 
which  surely  come  to  all. 

Navarre. 

Navarre  was  one  of  the  three  subdivisions  of  the 
Basque  country.  The  French  portion  of  it  includes 
the  arrondissements  of  Bayonne  and  Mauleon  in  the 
Basses  Pyrenees.  Historically  it  is  only  an  extension 
of  Spanish  Navarre,  of  which  Pampeluna  is  the  capital. 


A   MORSEL   OF   HISTORY  59 

The  Navarrese  crossed  the  Pyrenees  as  early  as  the 
sixth  century,  and  it  was  only  in  15 12  that  the  two 
Navarres  were  separated,  and  in  1589  that  French 
Navarre  was  administratively  reunited  to  France. 
The  kingdom  was  founded  in  the  ninth  century, 
reached  its  greatest  importance  in  the  eleventh,  passed 
by  marriage  to  the  Counts  of  Champagne  in  1234,  and 
in  1285  to  Phihppe  le  Bel  with  that  fief,  who  assumed 
the  title  of  King  of  France  and  Navarre,  in  which  his 
sons  followed  him.  In  1328  Jeanne,  daughter  of 
Charles  le  Bel,  was  prevented  from  succeeding  her 
father  on  the  French  throne  by  the  Salic  law,  but 
became  ruler  of  Navarre,  which  she  transmitted  to  the 
family  of  Philippe  d'Evreux  by  her  marriage  with 
him.  In  1479  i^  became  the  property  of  the  Counts 
of  Foix  and  Viscounts  of  Beam,  but  in  1572  Spanish 
Navarre  was  conquered  by  Ferdinand  the  Cathohc. 
Till  1789  French  Navarre  preserved  its  autonomy  and 
title  of  kingdom,  and  sent  representatives  to  the 
Parhament  at  Pau  ;  but  St.  Jean-Pied-de-Port  was 
considered  the  capital,  since  the  Etats  met  there. 
After  Henri  IV.  came  to  the  throne,  the  French  Kings 
resumed  the  practice  of  calling  themselves  Kings  of 
France  and  Navarre — a  usage  which  lasted  till  the 
time  of  Charles  X. 


6o  BAYONNE 

Bayonne. 

Bayonne  is  a  Basque  word  meaning  "  port,"  and 
well  describes  the  characteristics  of  the  town,  which  is 
situated  on  the  Adour,  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
sea,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Nive  with  that  river.  The 
Nive  divides  the  city  into  Grande  and  Petite  Bayonne, 
and  the  more  important  portion  still  retains  the  escarp- 
ments and  bastions  which  in  1814  enabled  it  to  make 
so  brave  and  successful  a  resistance  to  the  British  and 
Spanish  troops  under  Sir  John  Hope.  The  place 
appears  for  the  first  time,  under  the  name  of  Lapurdum, 
in  the  time  of  Theodosius.  It  was  then  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Roman  cohort  charged  with  the  defence 
of  Novempopulonia.  It  was  the  most  important  port 
in  the  province,  and  therefore  the  most  necessary  to 
defend  from  barbaric  pirates,  and  in  the  fourth  century 
was  fortified,  and  probably  received  civic  privileges 
at  the  same  time.  It  does  not  appear  with  the  title 
of  city,  however,  until  587,  in  the  Treaty  of  Andelot, 
and  no  Bishop's  name  is  recorded  till  late  in  the  tenth 
century  (for  S.  Leo,  who  is  said  to  have  administered 
the  diocese  in  the  ninth,  is  not  an  historical  personage) , 
the  authentic  list  commencing  in  980  with  Arsias  or 
Garsias  Racha.  After  the  Norman  and  Saracen  de- 
vastations many  towns  were  rebuilt  at  the  end  of  the 
tenth  and  beginning  of  the  eleventh  centuries,  and  it 
seems  probable  that  it  was  at  this  time  that  a  Council 
of   Lords   and   Notabilities   decided   to   do  this   with 


HISTORY   OF  THE  TOWN  6i 

Bayonne.  The  name  of  Baiona  appears  in  the  twelfth 
century,  but  Lapurdum  became  the  name  of  the 
territory  under  the  French  form  of  Labourd,  in  the 
same  way  as  Ruscino  did  in  Roussillon. 

The  city  belonged  to  the  Dukes  of  Aquitaine,  and 
passed  with  their  heiress  to  the  English  crown.  English 
rule  was  popular  with  the  citizens.  In  12 16  King 
John  enlarged  the  privileges  granted  in  11 20  by  William 
the  Troubadour,  father  of  Eleanor  of  Aquitaine,  to  full 
communal  government.  It  had  been  inhabited  by 
merchants  and  sailors  at  least  from  the  tenth  century, 
and,  thanks  to  the  intelligent  activity  of  its  inhabitants, 
had  surpassed  Pau  itself  in  importance.  In  1451  they 
made  a  vigorous  but  unavailing  resistance  to  Dunois, 
who  took  the  city  for  Charles  VII.  Notwithstanding 
this  capitulation,  it  still  retained  its  proud  motto, 
"  Nunquam  polluta."  Under  Fran9ois  I.  it  was  again 
fortified,  and  in  1523  repulsed  a  Spanish  army,  wel- 
coming the  King  on  his  return  from  his  captivity  in 
Madrid  in  1526.  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  massacre 
of  S.  Bartholomew  was  planned  here  in  1565,  when 
Charles  IX.  of  France  and  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Spain, 
met  in  the  presence  of  their  mother,  Catherine  de 
Medici,  and  the  Duke  of  Alva.  Since  the  Revolution 
the  town  has  been  the  ecclesiastical  head  of  the  whole 
department,  in  consequence  of  the  suppression  of  the 
bislioprics  of  Oloron  and  Lescar. 

The  bayonet  was  named  from  this  town,  where  they 
were  first  made — a  dagger  with  handle  fitting  tightly 


62  BAYONNE 

into  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  introduced  into  the  French 
army  in  1671. 

There  are  said  to  be  remains  of  Roman  walls  in  the 
base  of  the  old  castle,  a  rather  picturesque  construction 
ascribed  to  the  twelfth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  with 
round  towers  at  the  angles  and  lots  of  yellow  wash 
about  it.  A  tablet  mentions  celebrities  who  have 
lived  there,  including  the  Black  Prince  and,  I  think, 
Alfonso  el  Batallador.  It  is  now  occupied  by  different 
military  offices.  The  Chateau  Neuf  was  built  under 
Louis  XI.  and  Charles  VIII.  It  has  been  restored 
several  times,  and  now  serves  as  a  caserne  and  military 
prison. 

The  cathedral  was  commenced  in  12 13  by  Bishop 
William  de  Donzac,  who  lived  till  1258,  and  saw  the 
choir  nearly  completed.  The  nave  was  built  slowly 
in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  while  the 
English  had  possession  of  the  city.  The  towers  were 
in  course  of  construction  in  145 1.  Fleurs-de-lys  ap- 
pear in  the  parts  carried  out  subsequently,  but  the 
towers  were  only  completed  when  the  whole  church 
was  restored  under  M.  Boeswillwald.  The  plan  is 
Northern  in  character,  with  two  western  towers,  lofty 
nave  and  aisles,  transept  and  choir  with  deambulatory 
and  apsidal  chapels.  It  is  260  feet  long,  85  feet  high 
to  the  vault,  and  the  spires  are  nearly  280  feet  high. 

The  building  is  very  dark,  owing  to  the  large  amount 
of  stained  glass,  modern  and  late  medieval ;  though 
perhaps  I  am  scarcely  fair  to  it,  for  when  I  was  last 


THE  CATHEDRAL  63 

there  the  rain  descended  in  torrents,  accompanied  by 
a  high  wind,  and  such  weather  is  hardly  hkely  to  assist 
the  eye  to  discover  beauties.  The  clerestory  windows 
are  sometimes  rich  in  colour,  and  appear  to  be  filled 
with  glass  of  the  period  of  the  Early  Renaissance, 
generally  rather  coarse  in  design,  and  with  important 
canopies  and  borders,  with  a  curious  mixture  of  Gothic 
and  Renaissance  detail. 

The  door  to  the  sacristy  from  the  church  was  origin- 
ally an  external  door,  and  is  a  fine  composition.  It 
has  two  arches  and  a  central  pier.  On  each  jamb  two 
figures  are  set  under  canopies,  and  there  are  two  in 
the  centre,  making  six  in  all.  The  orders  of  the  arch 
and  tympana  above  are  also  carved.  On  one  appears 
Christ  with  two  angels,  bearing  symbols  of  the  Passion, 
and  the  symbols  of  the  evangelists  ;  on  the  other 
Madonna  with  the  Child,  and  angels  bearing  chalices. 
Angels  with  censers  fill  the  odd  spaces  beneath  the 
vault  of  the  modern  sacristy.  The  fine  cloisters  rather 
remind  one  of  Westminster  Abbey.  They  were  built 
in  1240.  Each  arcade  has  four  divisions,  with  tracery  ; 
one  gallery  has  been  converted  (or  rebuilt)  to  make 
the  sacristy.  There  is  a  fine  view  of  the  ensemble  of  the 
cathedral  from  the  south  walk.  In  them  are  housed 
some  ironwork  of  altar  rails  of  the  apse  chapels, 
Louis  XIV.  and  XV.  in  style,  medieval  ironwork, 
grilles,  etc.  ;  also  several  bits  of  medieval  carving 
showing  remains  of  colour  ;  a  monument  or  two,  late 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries,  showing  English 


64  BAYONNE 

influence  in  the  design ;  and  a  lot  of  Louis  XIV. 
carved  panelling,  probably  from  the  choir,  since  the 
pulpit  is  of  that  period,  as  well  as  the  imposing  organ- 
case. 

On  the  door  of  the  Place  Notre  Dame  is  an  old 
wrought-iron  knocker,   of  which  a  drawing  is  given. 

It  bears  some  resem- 
blance to  Spanish  iron- 
work of  the  period  and 
a  little  later.  The 
cathedral  is  not  yet 
completed.  It  has  been 
much  decorated  in 
colour  in  modern  times. 
In  S.  Esprit,  near 
the  station,  is  a  four- 
teenth -  century  group 
of  the  Flight  into 
Egypt,  and  in  the 
modern  church  of  S. 
Andre  is  a  picture  by 
Bonnat,      representing 

KNOCKER    OF    NORTH    DOOR,    CATHEDRAL,         fVip        AsSUmntioU         W^pll 

BAYONNE.  r  } 

composed  in  a  dramatic 
manner,  forcible  in  effect,  and  not  unpleasant  in  colour, 
but  to  my  mind  lacking  in  religious  feeling  and  in  style. 
It  is  affixed  to  the  wall  in  the  chapel  at  the  end  of  the 
right  aisle.  The  rest  of  the  decoration  and  the  glass 
is  of  the  usual  modern  religious  art. 


A   WET   DAY  65 

I  suppose  proximity  to  the  Spanish  frontier  may  be 
held  to  account  for  the  numerous  beggars  who  infest 
the  streets. 

To  Sauveterre  de  Bearn. 

At  Bayonne,  as  I  have  remarked,  the  weather  was 
abominable.  The  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  and  the 
wind  howled  and  assisted  it  to  penetrate  the  clothing 
of  the  unfortunate  people  who  had  to  cross  the  long 
bridge  over  the  Adour  and  the  other  open  places 
which  lie  between  the  town  and  the  station.  Fortu- 
nately there  are  sheltered  walks  along  the  sides  of  some 
of  the  streets  ;  but  it  was  without  regret  that  I  re- 
turned to  the  station  on  my  way  to  Sauveterre.  Water 
was  out  in  the  fields,  but  I  should  say  that  in  reasonable 
weather  the  scenery  would  be  attractive.  There  were 
trees  by  the  wayside  very  often,  and  boats  lying  in 
backwaters  under  their  shade,  while  the  houses  were 
colour-washed,  with  simple  iron  balconies  and  vines 
and  other  climbing  plants  trained  up  the  walls.  The 
rain,  of  course,  blotted  out  the  distance,  though  one 
could  see  the  shape  of  near  hills.  Everything  was  very 
green,  and  though  it  was  wet  it  was  not  cold.  At 
Guiche  we  passed  a  ruined,  ivy-clad  castle  on  a  little 
eminence.  Near  Orthevielle  the  fields  looked  like 
Italian  ricefields.  Bamboos  were  growing  luxuriantly 
further  on,  catalpas  like  forest  trees;  vines  were 
trained  as  standards  against  the  white  walls  of  the 

9 


66  TO  SAUVETERRE   DE   BEARN 

houses,  big  oleanders  were  in  blossom,  and  large,  cut- 
leaved  maple  trees  among  much  other  luxuriant 
growth. 

From  Puyoo  there  is  a  long  ascent,  with  a  tunnel 
at  the  end,  before  reaching  Salies  de  Beam ;  then  the 
water  began  to  flow  the  other  way  and  the  train  to 
run  merrily  down.  From  Bayonne  to  Puyoo  we  were 
accompanied  by  a  party  of  soldiers  with  lively  bugles. 
From  Puyoo  onwards  a  shepherd's  pipe  frequently 
sounded  from  the  same  direction.  The  men  speak 
Basque  among  themselves,  and  use  a  good  deal  of 
action,  some  of  it  expressive  enough.  At  Autevielle 
the  train  stayed  for  twenty-five  minutes,  apparently 
to  allow  the  country  fellows  to  solace  themselves  with 
drinking  wine.  Subsequently  a  little  dancing  and 
horse-play  developed,  which  was  rather  amusing. 
Meanwhile  it  got  dark,  and  began  to  rain  again  (for 
we  had  had  a  couple  of  hours'  respite),  so  that  I  was 
glad  to  get  into  the  omnibus  at  the  station,  and  drive 
to  the  hotel  without  troubling  about  anything  else. 

After  dinner  I  wanted  to  post  a  card,  and  sallied  out 
to  find  the  post-box,  following  instructions  given  by 
the  waitress  as  well  as  I  could.  Sauveterre  is  a  fas- 
cinating place  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  by  night, 
especially  after  a  wet  day,  with  the  uncertain  reflec- 
tions from  the  wet  cobbling  breaking  up  all  apparent 
forms — tree-trunks  and  the  darkness  of  leaves  and 
branches  overhead  in  places,  the  deep  shadows  beneath 
arcades  which  cannot  be  seen  into,  and  the  waxing 


THE  CHURCH  AT  SAUVETERRE 


67 


CHURCH  AT  SAUVETERRE  DE  BE'ARN,  FROM  THE  ROAD  TO  THE  MILL. 

and  waning  glow  of  the  small,  apparently  home-made 
electric  lights,  which  increases  the  mystery  of  the 
unknown  places  and  excites  the  imagination  to  all  sorts 


68  TO  SAUVETERRE   DE  BEARN 

of  extravagances.  Through  a  half-open  door  I  saw 
men  playing  one  of  the  games  which  to  us  look  so  dull. 
A  series  of  pins  about  3  feet  high,  with  a  globular 
swelling  in  the  centre,  was  set  up,  and  a  big  hollow 
ball  thrown  at  them.  We  should  think  it  practically 
impossible  to  avoid  upsetting  them,  but  the  players 
seemed  to  find  excitement  in  the  exercise. 

The  people  appeared  to  be  a  friendly  folk.  Next 
morning,  when  I  was  looking  at  the  west  door  of  the 
church  (restored,  and  an  historical  monufnent),  an  old 
fellow  came  up  and  pointed  out  parts  which  had 
been  restored,  which  he  knew,  having  seen  the  restora- 
tion carried  out.  An  amateur  photographer  was 
very  civil  when  I  was  drawing  on  the  bridge,  and 
the  man  who  lived  in  the  house  close  by  offered  me 
a  chair. 

The  situation  of  the  place  is  charming.  From  the 
terrace  outside  the  church  one  looks  down  upon  an 
elbow  of  the  Gave,  beyond  which  the  Castle  of  Montreal 
crowns  a  spur  of  rock,  with  the  bridge  stretching  out 
into  the  river.  There  are  no  signs  of  its  continuance 
on  the  other  side,  and  the  theory  has  been  advanced 
that  it  was  really  a*  toll-station,  by  which  the  lord 
exacted  payment  on  all  merchandise  going  up  or  down 
the  stream.  The  Gave  was  in  flood  when  I  was  there, 
and  I  was  not  able  to  verify  a  statement  that  the  deep 
water  ran  under  the  arch  of  the  bridge,  and  that  the 
water  beyond  was  shoal,  and  would  not  allow  of  the 
passage  of  boats  at  ordinary  times.     If  this  is  so,  it 


A   PICTURESQUE   GROUP   OF   BUILDINGS     69 

would  practically  amount  to  proving  the  writer's 
contention  (M.  Ferret). 

Ruins,  church,  castle,  and  mill  form  a  commanding 
and  picturesque  group,  and  the  subtropical  plants 
which  grow  on  the  sheltered  banks  show  that  the  climate 
is  mild.  The  buildings  of  fortification  extend  over  a 
considerable  space,  bearing  such  names  as  "  The 
Arsenal,"  the  tower  of  Jeanne  d'Albret,  etc.  The 
castle  dates  from  the  twelfth  to  the  fifteenth  centuries 
in  its  main  parts,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  feudal  ruins 
of  Beam.  The  great  donjon  is  100  feet  high,  and  is 
lighted  by  several  two-light,  trefoil-headed  windows. 
It  was  complete  in  1265,  ^^^  the  Viscounts  constantly 
added  to  the  ramparts,  further  strengthening  it.  Its 
ruin  dates  from  1523,  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  that  year 
leading  an  army  of  Charles  V.  through  the  district 
and  ravaging  all  on  his  way.  He  had  very  powerful 
artillery,  and  besieged  Sauveterre,  which  was  defended 
by  the  Baron  of  Miossens.  With  this  artillery  he 
opened  a  breach  and  carried  the  place  by  assault. 

It  is  quite  extraordinary  what  a  difference  the  sun- 
light makes  in  a  southern  climate.  Commonplace  roofs 
against  the  blue  sky  and  intensified  in  colour  by  the 
sun  become  quite  fine,  and  the  landscape,  which  was 
uninteresting  when  only  a  short  distance  could  be  seen, 
gains  enormously  from  the  blue  shadows  and  the  pale 
masses  of  the  greater  distances,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
variety  shown  by  the  varied  shapes  of  the  mountain 
outlines. 


70  TO  SAUVETERRE  DE  BfiARN 

Outside  the  church,  under  the  trees,  was  a  merry-go- 
round,  with  a  steam  organ.  To  my  surprise,  when  it 
struck  up,  it  did  not  bray  (as  it  would  certainly  have 
done  in  England),  but  played  "  biniou  "-like  tunes, 
which  were  quite  nice.  On  the  other  side  is  an  arcaded 
kind  of  market-house,  the  top  floor  of  which  seems  to 
be  the  "  Mairie."  The  square  between  is  planted 
with  old  plane-trees,  and  joins  the  terrace,  from 
which  one  obtains  the  wonderful  view  of  the  Gave 
and  the  bridge,  etc. 

The  church  is  Romanesque  (probably  late  twelfth- 
century,  continued  in  the  thirteenth),  and  now  much 
restored  and  decorated.  It  has  a  central  apse,  with 
ribbed  vaults  and  three  semicircular  steps  projecting 
into  the  crossing,  and  a  nave  of  three  bays  beyond  it. 
All  the  arches  are  pointed,  but  unmoulded  :  the  vaulting 
is  quadripartite,  with  tolerably  simple  profiles  to  the 
ribs  ;  the  choir  vaults  are  later,  and  the  ribs  spring 
from  caps  set  angle-wise,  instead  of  the  usual  way. 
The  side  apses  are  earlier,  both  in  the  character  of  the 
carving  and  the  arrangement  of  the  windows  and 
semi-dome.  Here,  and  in  the  great  arch  of  the  choir, 
balls  are  used  as  claws.  The  shafts  of  the  choir-arch 
have  a  second  small  column  above  the  first  cap,  and 
the  corbels  of  the  vaulting  group  with  its  cap  to  form 
an  important  feature.  The  caps  of  the  arches  across 
the  transepts  are  on  the  level  of  the  first  ;  those  of  the 
nave  vaulting  shafts  on  the  higher  level.  The  vaulting 
is  later  in  date,  I  should  think,  as  the  piers  of  the  nave 


72  TO   SAUVETERRE   DE    BEARN 

arcade  are  simple  in  plan,  and  the  carving  of  the  caps 
early.  The  vaulting  of  the  aisles  is  of  the  later  period  : 
the  crossing  piers  are  raised  on  irregular  octagonal 
bases  with  chamfered  angles,  and  the  plan  suggests 
late  twelfth-century  ;  the  ball  claws  occur  here  too, 
yet  the  crossing  and  the  side  apses  look  the  oldest  part, 
and  one  of  the  caps  has  South  Sea  Islands'  monsters 
at  the  angles.  The  modern  colouring  assists  this 
likeness.  The  nave  piers  are  on  round  bases.  The 
nave  and  aisles  are  of  three  bays,  lighted  by  oculi  in 
the  clerestory  (some  of  them  filled  with  later  tracery) 
and  narrow,  round-headed  windows  in  the  aisles.  The 
vaults  of  the  crossing  have  horizontal  ribs  at  the  sum- 
mits of  the  arches,  continued  in  one  bay  of  the  choir. 
The  vaults  are  all  the  same  height  from  west  to  east, 
and  oculi  are  inserted  above  the  side  arches  of  the 
crossing.  The  transepts  have  rose  windows,  simple 
in  design.  The  modern  furniture  and  colouring  are 
of  the  most  curious  description,  and  there  are  lots  of 
coloured  figures  of  saints  on  the  walls,  including  the 
now  inevitable  Joan  of  Arc. 

Across  the  west  end  runs  an  imposing  porch,  mostly 
restored,  but  I  suppose  following  the  old  lines.  The 
west  door  has  a  tympanum  with  a  large  arch  enclosing 
two  smaller  arches,  meeting  on  a  corbel  cap  with  angels 
at  the  angles  holding  scrolls,  inscribed  "  Restored  in 
1869,"  ^^^  weathered  like  the  old  work.  The  tym- 
panum is  occupied  by  a  figure  of  Christ  blessing  in  an 
aureole,  surrounded  by  the  symbols  of  the  evangelists 


THE   CHURCH    AT   SAUVETERRE  73 

and  figures  of  angels,  with  the  sun  and  moon  to  fill  up. 
The  archivolt,  which  is  the  only  important  semicircular 
arch,  has  angels  seated  all  round  it,  and  the  mouldings 
have  dog-tooth  enrichments.  In  place  of  the  usual 
figures  on  the  widely-splayed  jambs  is  a  series  of 
shafts  on  bases.  The  central  arch  of  the  outer  arcade 
is  flanked  by  smaller  ones  on  each  side,  all  unmoulded 
and  modern.  The  apse  has  billet  mouldings  in  its 
lowest  part,  and  nail-head  a  little  higher  up.  Instead 
of  pilaster  strips  there  are  coupled  engaged  colonnettes 


MONOGRAM  ON  TYMPANUM  OF 
DOOR, SAUVETERRE  DE  BEARN. 


TOWER  WINDOW  OF  CHURCH, 
SAUVETERRE  DE  BEARN. 


with  carved  caps,  ranging  with  the  simple  cornice 
corbels,  which  are  similar  in  design  in  the  side  apses. 
There  is  no  carving  outside  the  tower,  but  the  masonry 
of  the  two -light  windows  is  interesting,  and  the 
tympanum  of  a  little  door  is  ornamented  with  an 
archaic  sacred  monogram.  I  suppose  the  tower  was 
intended  for  fortification,  and  the  square  holes  so 
evident  were  the  passages  into  the  hourds,  the  wooden 
gallery  which  was  supported  on  the  rough  corbels 
below  them. 


10 


74  TO   SAUVETERRE   DE   BEARN 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  service  for  children. 
A  Canon  faced  them  at  a  harmonium  and  led  the 
singing,  while  the  cure  sat  in  the  stalls  and  read  a  book 
of  devotion — at  least,  that  was  the  way  it  appeared 
to  the  onlooker. 

At  Sauveterre  there  is  a  Reformed  church  also. 
It  is  approached  by  a  little  bridge  over  a  ravine  with 
water  rushing  at  the  bottom,  and  surrounded  with 
luxuriant  vegetation.  Quite  an  attractive-looking 
place  outside,  with  a  bell-turret  and  creepers  growing 
over  a  good  part  of  the  fa9ade,  inside  it  is  bare  and 
barn-like.  The  east  wall  is  occupied  by  a  pulpit 
between  two  texts  in  large  letters,  below  which  is  a 
kind  of  pew.  In  front  of  this  is  an  erection  in  place 
of  an  altar,  upon  which  an  open  Bible  is  set  up  and 
left,  for  it  was  two  p.m.  when  I  entered  the  open  build- 
ing, and  there  was  no  one  about.  This  altar  is  a  slab 
of  marble  set  upon  two  shaped  pilasters,  and  is  on  a 
platform  raised  one  step  above  the  floor  and  railed 
off.  The  worshippers  were  accommodated  with  chairs, 
except  the  back  row,  where  there  was  a  form,  and  in 
the  gallery  over  the  entrance,  used,  I  suppose,  for 
singers  or  school-children. 

Some  of  the  young  girls  of  Sauveterre  are  pretty — 
true  Bearnaises — but  for  the  most  part  they  wear  loose 
pinafore  things  which  do  not  set  them  off.  Not  that 
the  full-dress  costume  is  more  attractive  !  Wine  is 
very  cheap,  and  the  country  people  consume  a  good 
deal  of  it,  becoming  rather  noisy  after  a  time ;  but  I 


COUNTRY  FlfeTES  75 

saw  nothing  like  drunkenness.  The  white  "  ordinaire  " 
has  a  sHght  flavour  of  sherry.  The  climate  must  be 
very  mild,  as,  in  addition  to  the  subtropical  plants 
mentioned  above,  I  saw  mimosa  growing  and  seeding 
in  the  open  air,  and  chillies  hanging  in  the  windows  to 
ripen,  but  already  a  fine  colour. 

Sauveterre  to  Oloron. 

From  Sauveterre  I  went  by  a  light  railway  which 
runs  up  the  Gave  d' Oloron,  and  found  much  enter- 
tainment from  the  journey.  Two  stations  from  Sauve- 
terre there  was  a  local  fete — lots  of  people,  and  a  prize- 
winner, I  suppose,  carrying  about  a  kind  of  ornamental 
cake  with  much  pride.  An  official  with  a  tricolor 
favour  knew  some  of  the  passengers,  and  brought  a 
large  bottle  and  several  glasses  to  the  carriage  window 
(for  the  rail  ran  down  the  edge  of  the  road)  and  helped 
several  of  his  friends  during  our  short  stop.  As  we 
went  off,  a  band  was  playing  snatches  of  melody,  and 
the  women  and  children  thinking  of  dancing.  At 
another  place — Sus,  I  think — the  cars  ran  past  a  great 
crowd  of  people  and  a  band  on  a  stand  such  as  we  saw 
at  Vich  in  Catalonia,  but  there  was  no  dancing,  and 
apparently  no  room  for  it.  Here  the  carriage  filled 
up  with  people,  who  all  got  out  at  Navarrenx.  The 
usual  type  of  male  head  has  humorous  lines  from  the 
corners  of  the  eyes,  and  generally  the  noses  are  aquiline, 
though  there  are  many  exceptions. 


76  SAUVETERRE  TO   OLORON 

Navarrenx  has  bastions  all  round  it,  and  crowns 
an  eminence  above  the  Gave,  with  a  bridge  of  ap- 
proach. The  bridge  is  stated  to  be  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  but  looks  much  newer.  The  original  site  of 
the  town  was  on  the  other  bank,  and  till  a  few  years 
ago  a  fifteenth-century  tower  in  a  field  marked  the 
site.  It  was  rebuilt  in  its  present  position  by  order 
of  Henri  d'Albret,  King  of  Navarre,  who  in  1546  con- 
structed the  fortifications,  at  a  later  date  revised  by 
Vauban.  It  was  taken  in  1620  by  Louis  XIII.,  who 
published  the  Edict  of  Reunion,  by  which  the  Catholic 
religion  was  re-established  here.  For  a  few  months, 
in  1790,  it  was  the  chief  town  of  the  Basses  Pyrenees, 
and  remained  a  fortress  till  1867. 

At  Sus  there  are  several  chateaux  among  trees,  and 
the  place  looks  very  attractive,  great  trees  lining  the 
road.  The  only  train  by  which  I  was  able  to  travel 
was  in  the  evening,  and  soon  after  passing  Sus  the 
sunset  engaged  one's  attention.  It  was  essentially  a 
fine-weather  sunset,  which  was  reassuring  after  the 
rain  from  which  one  had  suffered,  but  called  for  little 
remark  except  for  the  fine  glow  which  suffused  the 
sky,  and  I  was  glad  to  reach  Oloron  and  the  comfortable 
inn  which  I  remembered  on  a  previous  visit. 


THE   GOVERNMENT   OF   BfiARN  77 

B]fiARN. 

The  government  of  Beam  covered  the  modern 
arrondissements  of  Pau,  Oloron,  and  Orthez.  From 
the  thirteenth  century  it  was  divided  into  circumscrip- 
tions which  were  called  vices,  bailliages  or  bailies, 
and  parsans  at  one  time  or  another,  judicial  and 
administrative  units  of  which  the  number  varied  from 
time  to  time,  but  which  lasted  until  1789.  The  region 
formed  part  of  Aquitaine,  and  later  of  Novempopu- 
lonia,  in  Roman  times,  and  was  inhabited  by  the 
Venarni  or  Beneharnenses,  the  Iluronenses,  and  the 
Osquidates.  The  names  of  Iluro  (Oloron)  and  Bene- 
harnum  (Lescar)  mark  the  sites  of  their  chief  towns, 
the  latter  giving  a  name  to  the  whole  district.  A 
Roman  road  conducting  to  Csesarea  Augusta  (Sara- 
gossa)  ran  through  the  country,  and  crossed  the 
Pyrenees  at  Somport  (Summus  Pyrenaeus)  ;  another 
skirted  it  to  the  west,  crossing  the  mountain  crest  at 
the  gate  of  Ibaneta  or  Roncesvaux  (Imus  Pyrenaeus) ; 
and  a  third  road  from  Bordeaux  to  Dax  skirted  the 
Pyrenees  from  west-north-west  to  east-south-east. 
From  407  to  409  the  Vandals,  Alains,  and  Sueves  des- 
cended on  the  country  and  devastated  it.  S.  Jerome 
thus  describes  their  passing  :  "  Everything  is  ravaged, 
nothing  spared  by  this  devastating  torrent."  The 
Visigoths  followed,  and  to  them  Rome  abandoned 
further  Aquitaine  in  419.  They  estabhshed  themselves 
in    Novempopulonia,    and   divided    among   them    the 


78  BEARN 

numerous  abandoned  properties  and  the  decumanal 
lands.  In  507  the  battle  of  Vouille  drove  them  out, 
and  the  Austrasian  lords  took  their  place.  In  566 
the  two  cities  which  afterwards  formed  Beam  were 
given  by  Chilperic  as  "  morgengab  "  to  Queen  Gal- 
suintha,  and  after  the  murder  of  this  Princess  they 
passed  to  her  sister,  the  celebrated  Brunehaut.  At 
the  end  of  the  sixth  century  the  Vascons  arrived,  who 
again  devastated  Novempopulonia  and  defeated  Duke 
Bladaste  (581),  but,  defeated  in  their  turn,  abandoned 
the  plains  and  took  refuge  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Gave  d'Oloron,  in  the  valleys  known  later  by  the 
names  of  Soule  Basse,  Navarre,  and  Labourd,  which 
still  form  the  Basque  country.  The  whole  district 
was  ravaged  again  in  the  eighth  century  by  the  Sara- 
cens, and  in  the  ninth  by  the  Normans.  A  "  Vicomte  " 
of  Beam  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time  in  819  as  depen- 
dent upon  the  Dukes  of  Gascony.  In  940  it  became 
hereditary,  and  gradually  the  feudal  tie  weakened,  so 
that  when  Eudes,  Count  of  Poitiers  and  Duke  of 
Gascony,  died  without  direct  heir  in  1039  ^^  ^04^> 
in  return  for  the  Viscounts  abandoning  any  claim  to 
the  inheritance  which  they  might  have  possessed,  their 
independence  was  acknowledged,  and  Viscount  Cen- 
tulle  was  able  to  call  himself  sovereign  lord  of  the  land 
of  Beam.  In  1070,  Guy  Geoffroy,  Count  of  Poitiers 
and  Duke  of  Aquitaine,  gave  to  Centulle  IV.  certain 
revenues  and  rights  which  still  belonged  to  him,  in 
compensation  for  his  services,  and  from  that  time  the 


EARLY  FRANCHISES  79 

Viscounts  were  actual  Sovereigns,  not  owing  homage 
to  anyone.  They  struck  money  of  silver,  copper,  and 
gold  in  their  mint  at  Morlaas,  and  this  royal  right, 
which  S.  Louis  refused  to  his  brother,  Alphonse  de 
Poitiers,  Count  of  Toulouse,  was  never  disputed. 
Their  "  monnaie  Morlanne "  passed  throughout  the 
South  and  in  France  during  the  Middle  Ages.  This 
coinage  bore  the  effigy  and  the  arms  of  the  Viscounts, 
their  name,  and  the  device,  ''  Deo  gratias  sum  id  quod 
sum."  Morlaas  had  its  charter  from  iioi,  and  till 
the  thirteenth  century  was  the  capital  of  the  Viscounts. 
They  could  not  estabhsh  themselves  at  Lescar  or  Oloron, 
for  they  belonged  to  the  Bishops,  and  in  the  tenth 
century  were  in  ruins. 

Being  a  "  noble  and  free  land,"  Beam  was  not  in- 
fluenced by  the  French  monarchy,  and  did  not  mix 
much  in  the  feudal  struggles  which  desolated  the 
South  of  France  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries. 
The  privileges  of  Beam  known  as  the  "  fors  "  are  justly 
celebrated,  being  very  early  examples  of  the  granting 
of  franchises.  The  earhest,  that  of  Oloron  (1080), 
renewed  in  1290,  one  of  the  most  ancient  texts  in  Ro- 
manesque language  known,  is  based  upon  more 
ancient  grants  which  CentuUe  IV.  affirms  in  it  to  have 
been  less  advantageous.  In  1088  his  successor, 
Gaston  IV.,  confirmed  and  augmented  the  privileges 
and  franchises  of  Morlaas,  and  the  new  "  for  de 
Morlaas "  gradually  replaced  a  general  "  fors."  A 
compilation  was  made  in  1288,  which  probably  was  a 


8o  BEARN 

codification  of  traditional  unwritten  customs.  All  the 
"  fors  "  refer  to  more  ancient  "  fors,"  and  all  safe- 
guard the  rights  of  each,  limiting  by  a  legislative  code 
the  seignorial  power  and  defining  the  rights  of  the 
Sovereign.  From  the  twelfth  century  onward  there 
were  assemblies,  or  plenary  courts,  in  which  deputies 
of  the  three  orders  appeared,  and  the  "  Etats  de 
Beam  "  gradually  grew  in  importance  till  the  fifteenth 
century.  It  was  under  Gaston  Phoebus  that  they 
were  regularly  summoned  to  sit  in  agreement  with  their 
Viscount. 

This  freedom  made  the  whole  people  loyal  and  well- 
disposed,  and  Froissart  bears  witness  that  the  tax  by 
fire  (or  hearth)  imposed  on  the  whole  seigneurie  was 
paid  with  extraordinary  good- will.  ''  For  among  them 
there  is  no  Frenchman,  Enghshman,  or  robber  who 
does  them  wrong,  nor  the  injury  of  a  single  penny, 
and  all  the  country  is  as  safe  as  can  be,  so  well  is  justice 
executed." 

The  rehgious  differences  in  1619  brought  about  a 
struggle  between  Louis  XIII.  and  the  Council  General 
of  Beam.  Louis  came  to  Pau  with  an  army,  and 
united  the  sovereignty  of  Beam  to  the  crown  of  France. 
The  next  year  he  created  the  Parhament  of  Navarre 
at  Pau,  which  existed  till  1789  ;  but  in  1790  Beam 
was  united  to  the  Basse  Navarre  and  Labourd,  to  form 
the  department  of  Basses  Pyrenees. 

Henri  IV.  summed  up  the  quahties  and  defects  of 
the  race  in  his  personality. 


ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU  8i 

Under  Louis  XIV.  the  Bearnais  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  raise  a  statue  to  him.  In  reply  permission  was 
given  to  raise  one  to  Louis  XIV.  They  complied,  but 
inscribed  the  pedestal,  "  To  the  grandson  of  our  Great 
Henry  "  ! 

Orthez  and  Hagetmau. 

The  name  of  Orthez  brings  to  the  Englishman's 
mind  the  memory  of  the  Peninsular  campaign,  and 
Wellington's  victory  over  Marshal  Soult  on  February  24, 
18 14.  The  action  was  fought  on  the  hills  above  the 
town  to  the  north  and  north-west,  and  10,000  dead 
remained  on  the  field.  Soult  retired  on  St.  Sever,  with 
his  wounded  and  artillery.  A  monument  rather  more 
than  a  mile  to  the  north  marks  the  place  where  General 
Foy  received  his  fourteenth  wound.  Memories  of  an 
earlier  date  may  be  gleaned  from  Froissart,  who  fre- 
quented the  splendid  Court  of  Gaston  Phoebus,  held 
in  the  castle,  of  which  some  remains  still  exist.  The 
house  in  which  he  is  said  to  have  lived,  known  as  the 
Hotel  de  la  Lune,  is  still  shown;  it  lies  back  from 
the  street  down  a  narrow  passage. 

The  town  is  about  twenty-two  miles  west-north- 
west of  Pau,  lying  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Gave  de 
Pau,  which  is  a  rocky  chasm  here,  and  united  to  its 
suburb  (called  "  Depart  ")  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  by  a  bridge  of  the  fourteenth  century,  restored 
but  still  picturesque.  It  has  four  unequal  pointed 
arches,  and  the  roadway  passes  beneath  a  tower  in 

II 


A 

^1  3m 


iC'i^      ^ 


"THE   NOBLE   CASTLE"  83 

which  is  a  window  which  people  go  to  Orthez  to  see, 
because  from  it  Montgomery's  Calvinists  in  1569  forced 
the  Capuchins  who  had  assisted  in  defending  the  town 
to  throw  themselves  into  the  river.  It  is  called  either 
"  La  fenetre  des  Pretres  "  or  "  Des  Capucins."  The 
assault  was  delivered  on  the  day  of  the  arrival  of  a 
new  governor  sent  by  Charles  IX.  to  re-estabhsh 
Cathohcism,  and  Montgomery's  action  was  a  grim 
satire  upon  his  intention. 

The  lordship  was  acquired  from  the  Viscounts  of 
Dax  at  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  by  Gaston  VI., 
called  "  the  Good/'  Viscount  of  Beam.  Orthez 
(Ortesium)  became  the  favourite  residence  of  the  Court 
under  Gaston  VII.,  who  abandoned  the  '*  Fourquie  " 
of  Morlaas,  and  built  this  castle  on  the  model  of  that 
of  Moncada  in  Valencia,  which  the  Viscounts  considered 
to  be  the  cradle  of  their  race.  This  was  in  1242.  The 
donj  on,  which  remains,  is  known  as  the  Tour  Moncade, 
being  built  on  the  plan  of  the  Castle  of  Moncada, 
in  Spain,  rectangular  in  plan,  with  a  projecting 
beak.  Round  several  of  the  window  openings  traces 
of  gratings  may  still  be  seen,  recahing  its  use  as  a 
prison.  The  top  has  been  restored.  The  well  in  the 
courtyard  is  still  in  use,  and  part  of  the  moat  and  a 
corresponding  portion  of  the  wall  with  niches  and 
loopholes  for  defence,  three  to  a  niche,  remains.  A 
good  deal  of  the  rest  of  the  plan  can  be  traced,  showing 
that  it  had  three  hues  of  walls.  It  was  entitled  "  The 
Noble    Castle."     For    two    centuries    and    more    this 


A   PITIFUL  STORY  85 

castle  was  the  centre  of  Court  life,  and  it  has  a  tragic 
interest  as  being  the  building  in  which  Gaston  Phcebus 
killed  his  son  and  heir — apparently  accidentally.  The 
boy  had  been  given  a  black  powder  by  the  King 
of  Navarre,  which  he  was  told  would  bring  about  a 
reconciliation  between  his  parents.  He  put  the  powder 
in  a  little  purse,  and  hid  it  in  his  bosom.  There  his 
bastard  brother  Yvain  saw  it  when  playing  with  him, 
and  denounced  him  to  the  Count.  At  dinner  the  child 
began  to  serve  him  as  usual.  The  Count  observed  the 
purse,  seized  the  boy,  tore  open  his  coat,  cut  the  strings 
of  the  purse,  and  turned  the  black  powder  out  on  to 
a  bit  of  bread,  which  he  gave  to  a  dog,  who  died  directly 
after  eating  it.  Gaston  Phoebus  immediately  un- 
sheathed his  knife  and  rushed  at  his  son  ;  but  the 
knights  and  squires  present  intervened,  entreating 
him  on  their  knees  to  remember  that  he  was  his  only 
son  and  heir ;  and  he  desisted,  but  shut  him  up  in  the 
donjon.  Seeking  for  accomplices  in  the  plot,  he  exe- 
cuted fifteen  of  his  son's  servants.  He  then  summoned 
the  nobles,  prelates,  and  notables  of  his  country,  and 
laid  the  matter  before  them,  declaring  that  he  would 
execute  the  boy.  But  they  also  entreated  him  to  spare 
him,  and  said  they  would  not  leave  Orthez  without 
the  assurance  that  he  should  not  die.  The  child  was 
kept  in  solitary  confinement  in  a  dark  room,  *'  cursing 
the  day  he  was  born,"  lying  on  his  side,  and  refusing 
to  eat.  On  the  tenth  day  the  gaoler  saw  the  un- 
touched food  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  informed 


86  ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU 

the  Count,  who  immediately  came  to  the  prison  chamber. 
Putting  his  hand  roughly  on  his  son's  throat  and 
pushing  him,  he  said,  "  Ah,  traitor,  why  don't  you  eat  ?" 
and  so  went  out.  But  he  had  in  his  hand  a  little  knife 
with  which  he  had  been  trimming  his  nails,  and  the 
point  pierced  an  artery.  The  child  turned  his  face 
to  the  wall  and  quietly  bled  to  death  !  When  his  father 
learnt  what  had  happened,  he  appeared  to  be  much 
afflicted,  and  buried  his  son  with  much  pomp  in  the 
church  of  the  Cordeliers. 

It  was  here,  too,  that  the  Castellan  of  Lourdes, 
Arnaud  de  Beam,  was  assassinated  by  the  same 
brilliant,  untrustworthy  Prince.  The  castle  was 
besieged  by  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  but  unsuccessfully. 
Gaston  Phoebus  engaged  to  acquire  it  for  the  Duke 
if  he  had  command  of  40,000  livres  with  which  to  bribe 
the  captain,  and  a  further  20,000  for  himself.  This 
being  agreed,  Gaston  invited  Arnaud  to  visit  him  at 
Orthez.  Arnaud  came,  but,  being  distrustful,  went 
to  the  Hotel  de  la  Lune  instead  of  to  the  castle,  having 
confided  the  castle  at  Lourdes  to  his  brother  Jean, 
making  him  swear  never  to  give  it  up  to  anyone  but 
the  King  of  England.  Gaston  sent  to  the  Hotel  de  la 
Lune  to  bid  him  to  his  table,  and  after  the  banquet 
they  drank  until  the  sun  rose.  Then  the  Count  thought 
it  safe  to  make  his  proposition  to  the  Castellan,  who, 
however,  proudly  refused  it.  He  said  his  faith  was 
pledged  to  the  English,  and  he  would  not  consent. 
"  Neither  for  gold  nor  silver,  my  lord,"  he  ended.     The 


A   CALVANIST  UNIVERSITY  87 

Count  was  enraged  at  his  failure,  drew  his  dagger,  and 
stabbed  the  brave  man  five  times,  who  fell,  crying  out  : 
"  Ah,  my  lord,  you  do  not  act  like  one  of  noble  blood  ! 
You  have  invited  me  to  your  house  and  assassinate 
me  Hke  this  !"  He  was  thrown  into  a  dungeon,  where 
he  died  ;  but  the  Count  of  Foix  and  the  Duke  of  Anjou 
did  not  get  the  castle. 

Gaston  Phoebus  retired  to  end  his  days  in  the 
hospital  of  Orion,  between  Orthez  and  Sauveterre, 
a  place  hke  a  weU  sunk  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine,  of 
which  only  the  chapel  remains,  in  a  ruinous  state. 
He  was  but  fifty  then,  and  died,  disgusted  with  the 
pleasures  and  splendours  of  which  he  had  so  great  a 
share,  nine  years  after.  He  was  buried  in  the  same 
church  as  his  little  son. 

Jeanne  d'Albret  established  a  Calvinist  University 
in  the  town  to  reward  the  people  for  their  attachment 
to  the  Reformed  faith,  in  which  Theodore  de  Beza 
was  professor  at  one  time.  A  portion  of  the  buildings 
remains  (added  to  in  the  sixteenth  century).  Down 
by  the  bridge  are  many  medieval  and  early  Renais- 
sance houses,  and  the  road  to  the  Castle  is  lined  with 
those  of  a  shghtly  later  date.  The  most  important, 
perhaps,  is  that  said  to  have  been  Jeanne  d'Albret's,  a 
fine  sixteenth-century  building,  well  preserved  exter- 
nally, but  surrounded  by  factories  and  stores  of  a  very 
modern  type.  The  church  is  of  the  end  of  the  twelfth 
century  in  the  lower  portions  of  the  walls,  but  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  century  for  the  most    part,  and    has  a 


HOUSE    OF   JEANNE    d'aLBRET,    ORTHEZ. 


UNUSUAL  FIGURES  89 

modern  tower  and  spire.  It  consists  of  nave  and 
transepts,  with  a  polygonal  apse  and  side  chapels. 
Under  the  porch  below  the  tower  is  an  ornamented 
door.  It  stands  by  the  side  of  the  market-place, 
beyond  which  is  a  pleasant  stretch  of  green,  dotted 
with  shadv  trees,  under  which  oxen  lie  ruminating  on 
market-days,  with  the  vehicles  they  have  drawn  close 
by,  for  Orthez  is  the  chief  place  of  the  arrondissement , 
and  every  Tuesday  is  full  of  market  folk.  There  are 
very  few  survivals  of  costume,  but  we  saw  one  old 
fellow  with  a  round  hat,  stockings  and  sandals,  a  deep 
purple  cummerbund,  and  a  lightish  blue  blouse.  He 
wore  blue  drawers  with  velveteen  breeches  unbuttoned 
at  the  knee,  the  drawers  puffed  out  over  his  stockings, 
and  the  unusual  combination  of  colour  and  light  and 
dark  caught  the  eye,  reminding  one  of  costumes  seen 
in  Spain  many  years  ago,  when  travelling  was  more 
of  a  novelty  than  it  has  since  become.  The  cripple 
in  his  little  dog-drawn  cart  also  reminded  us  of  a 
similar  sight  seen  at  Terni  years  ago.  There  were 
plenty  of  good-looking  girls  about,  for  which  Orthez 
is  noted,  as  the  sign  of  the  principal  hotel  bears  witness, 
"  Grand  Hotel  de  la  belle  Hotesse,"  a  name  which  the 
landlady  told  us  was  given  it  by  Lord  Wellington 
himself,  who  stayed  there,  and  was  struck  by  the  beauty 
of  his  hostess.  A  modern  poet  of  Orthez  (now,  alas  ! 
in  the  mad-house  from  too  much  indulgence  in  the 
good  wine  of  the  country),  in  a  poem  in  the  patois  of 
the  district,  has  asserted  that  "  the  Bearnaises  have 

12 


90  ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU 

eyes  like  stars  and  lips  like  flowers."  To  judge  of  the 
accuracy  of  the  latter  portion  of  the  statement  requires 
a  longer  stay  than  we  were  able  to  make,  as  well  as 
special  opportunities,  but  certainly  many  attractive 
faces  are  to  be  seen.  There  are  more  Protestants  in 
Orthez  than  in  any  other  Bearnais  town  still,  not- 
withstanding the  severe  measures  of  conversion  applied 
in  1684  by  the  terrible  intendant  Foucault,  who  gave 
the  inhabitants  twenty  days  in  which  to  make  their 
submission  to  the  Catholic  religion  under  pain  of  the 
greatest  barbarities  in  case  of  refusal. 

A  light  railway  from  Orthez  to  Aire-sur-l'Adour, 
which  runs  familiarly  along  roads  and  serpentines  up 
the  hills,  affords  an  easy  means  of  reaching  the  little 
town  of  Hagetmau,  on  the  road  between  St.  Sever 
and  Orthez.  It  is  a  chief  town  of  the  arrondissement 
of  St.  Sever,  but  is  fallen  in  importance,  for  it  was  once 
the  second  town  of  La  Chalosse,  and  possessed  a  castle 
of  the  Kings  of  Navarre,  who  frequently  resided  there. 
It  cannot  boast  the  great  antiquity  of  some  of  its 
neighbours,  for  it  owes  its  origin  to  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Girons,  the  foundation  of  which  has  been  ascribed 
to  Charlemagne.  The  patron  saint  was  a  companion 
of  S.  Sever,  and,  like  him,  was  martyred  about  409, 
according  to  tradition,  on  the  site  occupied  at  a  later 
date  by  the  monastery.  The  Hagetmau  tradition  is 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  relics  was  preserved  there 
till  1569,  when  they  were  taken  to  Bourg-sous-Vic  in 
the   Couserans,  which   thenceforward   was   known   as 


E 


.•^ 


THE  CRYPT  AT   HAGETMAU  91 

St.  Girons.  At  that  place  they  say  that  the  skull  and 
some  bones  were  brought  thither  in  the  fifth  century 
by  the  companions  of  the  saint,  and  at  S.  Eulalie, 
Bordeaux,  were  portions  said  to  have  been  brought 
thither  by  Charlemagne.  The  dispute  is  of  little 
importance,  as  all  the  relics  vanished  at  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

The  abbey  at  Hagetmau  was  served  by  regular 
Augustinian  Canons  at  first,  but  was  secularized  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  and  destroyed  by  the  Hugue- 
nots in  1569.  In  1888  the  crypt  was  made  known  to 
the  French  Archaeological  Congress,  which  met  at  Dax 
in  that  year,  and  as  a  consequence,  was  declared  an 
historical  monument.  Since  that  time  the  church 
has  been  cleared  away,  the  fourteenth-century  ribbed 
and  bossed  vaulting  removed  and  replaced  by  a  modern 
imitation  of  eleventh  -  century  work,  and  a  chapel 
built  above  it,  apparently  to  serve  a  fine  new  hospital 
which  has  been  erected  close  by.  The  eleventh-century 
church  was  destroyed  in  some  way,  and  on  its  remains 
another  was  built  in  the  fourteenth  century,  but  the 
crypt  is  mainly  of  the  earlier  date,  through  the  fully 
developed  style  and  accomplishment  of  much  of  the 
carving  point  to  a  delayed  completion.  Certain  of  the 
patterns  upon  the  abaci  closely  resemble  others  met 
with  at  Moissac  and  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse,  and  there  is 
also  considerable  resemblance  in  the  costume  and 
treatment  of  some  of  the  figures.  The  hons,  monsters, 
and  birds  bear  an  equal  hkeness  in  treatment  to  carving 


CRYPT   AT    HAGETMAU. 


THE  CRYPT  AT   HAGETMAU  93 

in  Roussillon,  as  at  Serrabona,  and  the  fragments  of 
the  cloisters  of  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  and  S.  Martin  de 
Canigou.      The  eyes  of  the  figures  have  pupils  of  lead. 


PLAN    OF    CRYPT,    HAGETMAU. 


The  plan  shows  the  shape  and  general  structure  of 
the  crypt.  In  the  centre  is  a  platform,  slightly  raised 
above    the   ground   level,   upon   which   the   shrine   of 


94  ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU 

S.  Girons  probably  stood,  since  there  were  holes  in 
the  slabs  of  stone  as  if  for  metal  clamps  or  rails,  and  the 
four  central  columns  are  of  grey  marble,  said  to  be 
Campanian,  which  may  be  antique,  and  may  have  been 
used  in  the  primitive  church.  But  three  kilometres 
away  is  a  place  called  Jouarbe  (''  Jovis  Arva,"  the  fields 
of  Jupiter?).  The  columns  are  of  different  lengths, 
made  up  with  another  kind  of  stone  ;  one  is  in  three 
pieces,  and  another  has  the  remains  of  a  necking  worked 
on  the  upper  end  ;  two  of  them  have  circular  bases. 
The  engaged  columns  of  the  walls  are  built  in  courses  ; 
their  bases  have  spurs.  At  the  east  end  is  a  low  arch 
sunk  in  the  wall,  a  kind  of  arcosolium,  and  in  the 
horizontal  slab  beneath  it  is  a  sinking  as  if  for  the 
relics  consecrating  the  altar.  Round  the  walls  runs 
a  low  stone  bench  mth  a  simple  moulding.  There  is 
one  pointed  niche  in  the  north  wall,  and  the  window 
by  it  has  a  lintel  with  brackets  beneath  ;  all  the 
other  openings  are  round-headed,  though  the  western 
windows  (which  opened  into  the  church)  have  the 
semicircles  cut  out  of  lintels.  The  walls  vary  from 
3  feet  to  4  feet  6  inches  in  thickness,  and  are  buttressed 
at  intervals. 

The  portions  of  the  walls  of  the  church  remaining 
attached  to  the  crypt  show  an  unmoulded  arcading 
descending  to  the  entrance  stairs,  attached  columns 
in  courses,  and  a  bit  of  a  circular  tower,  through  which 
a  barrel  vault  decreasing  in  diameter  descends,  with 
the  base  of  another  contiguous.     Several  bosses  from 


BEAUTIFUL  CAPITALS  95 

the  fourteenth-century  vaults  lie  on  the  ground,  with 
armorial  bearings ;  one  shows  an  abbot  with  mitre  and 
crozier  ;  two  carved  corbels  of  the  same  period  occupy 
the  western  corners.  The  springing  of  the  vaults  is 
about   II  feet  from  the  ground.     The  great  central 


CAPITAL    IN    CRYPT,    HAGETMAU. 


caps  are  nearly  3  feet  high,  and  the  great  interest  of 
the  place  lies  in  the  fine  ornament  and  splendid  carving 
of  the  capitals,  which  are  surprisingly  little  damaged. 
Several  of  them  have  simple  foliage,  though  the  abaci 
are  carved  with  interlacing  scrolls,  but  upon  others  are 


96  ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU 

lions  attacking  martyrs,  personages  holding  fantastic 
birds  by  their  wings,  birds  with  human  heads  in  their 
claws,   griffins  holding  hons'   heads,   etc.     Two   have 


CAPITAL    IN    CRYPT,    HAGETMAU. 


figure  subjects  upon  them.  Daniel  stands  holding  an 
apple  with  the  god  Bel  as  a  dragon  facing  him  ;  a  feast 
which  might  be  the  supper  at  Emmaus,  if  the  figures 
had  nimbi,  fills  another  face.     On  another  capital  is 


FIGURE  CARVING  97 

the  deliverance  of   S.   Peter  from  prison,  the  figures 
placed  beneath  round   arches  with   twisted   columns 


CAPITAL    IN    CRYPT,    HAGETMAU. 


and  a  general  suggestion  of  Norman  work.  S.  Peter 
has  a  nimbus  ;  an  angel  breaks  his  chains  with  a  stroke 
of  a  lance  ;  two  Roman  soldiers  guard  the  prison. 

13 


98  ORTHEZ  AND   HAGETMAU 

The  whole  place  has  been  painted^  probably  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  when  considerable  alterations 
were  made  ;  but  there  were  also  signs  of  fresh  experi- 
ments in  colouring  the  caps.  In  many  restored 
Romanesque  churches  colour  has  unfortunately  been 
added  in  such  a  manner  as  to  disguise  the  fine  carving 
and  reduce  the  capitals  to  the  level  of  the  coloured 
modern  religious  figures,  etc.,  so  common  in  French 
churches. 

M.  Brutails  remarked  a  very  curious  thing  in  this 
church,  which  probably  disappeared  with  the  restora- 
tion— viz.,  that  the  Romanesque  workmen,  wishing 
to  simulate  joints  in  voussoirs  which  were  too  long, 
carved  them  on  the  surface,  broad,  with  a  rising  in  the 
middle  as  if  it  were  the  mortar  joint.  This  seems  to 
prove  that  it  was  then  usual  to  iinish  the  wall  surface 
in  this  manner — not  more  elaborately. 

Pau  and  Morlaas. 

Although  Pau  is  a  place  well  known  to  English  visitors, 
its  position  as  capital  of  Beam  and  the  possession  of 
a  royal  castle  which  is  historically  interesting,  though 
much  restored,  makes  it  worthy  of  notice.  It  is  built 
on  the  edge  of  a  plateau  130  feet  or  so  above  the  Gave 
de  Pau,  where  the  Ousse  joins  it.  A  ravine,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  the  brook  Hedas  runs,  divides  the 
town,  and  is  crossed  by  five  bridges.  From  the 
most  ancient  bridge,  and  from  the  terrace  where  the 


THE  CASTLE  AT  PAU  99 

big  hotels  are  situated,  a  fine  panoramic  view  of  the 
Pyrenees  is  obtained. 

The  castle  is  the  only  thing  of  interest  in  the  town. 
From  the  fact  of  Henri  IV.  being  born  there,  it  is  called 
after  him,  but  the  main  part  of  the  fortifications  date 
from  the  time  of  Gaston  Phoebus  ;  the  contract  (of 
1373)  between  him  and  the  workmen  still  exists.  The 
entrance  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  was 
on  the  side  of  the  ravine.  The  Renaissance  alterations 
are  due  to  Henri  H.  of  Navarre  and  his  wife,  Margaret 
of  Valois,  sister  of  Francis  I.  The  castle  is  full  of 
sumptuous  furniture,  most  of  it  given  by  Louis  XHL 
and  Louis  XIV.,  to  intendants  of  the  province  or  to 
favourites,  and  among  it  is  the  tortoise-shell  cradle  of 
Henri  IV.,  and  the  bed  used  by  his  mother  Jeanne 
d'Albret.  The  building  has  been  carefully  restored 
at  different  times,  and  one  of  the  towers  is  as  modern 
as  the  period  of  Louis  Philippe. 

The  name  Paou  is  the  Bearnais  form  of  the  Latin 
paliim.  Tradition  says  that  there  were  three  which 
marked  the  place  on  which  the  town  was  to  be  founded. 
It  was  due  to  a  Viscount  of  Beam  ©f  the  commence- 
ment of  the  eleventh  century,  who  wished  for  a  fortress 
to  defend  this  point  of  the  Gave  and  for  people  to  live 
near  it.  The  Viscounts  sometimes  resided  here,  though 
Morlaas  was  their  capital,  for  Centulle  IV.  received  a 
legate  of  Gregory  VII.  in  the  castle.  After  the  death 
of  Gaston  Phoebus  in  1391,  the  Sovereigns  of  Beam 
appeared   at   Pau   more   frequently   till    1479,    ^^hen 


100  PAU  AND   MORLAAS 

Frangois  Phebus  was  made  King  of  Navarre  ;  but  from 
that  date  till  15 12,  being  Kings  as  well  as  Viscounts, 
Pau  was  abandoned  for  Pampeluna.  In  that  year  they 
lost  Spanish  Navarre,  and  therefore  considered  Pau 
their  capital  till  1589,  and  fixed  the  seat  of  the  different 
administrations  there.  Jeanne  d'Albret  lived  there 
generally,  and  thus  Henri  IV.  was  born  there  Decem- 
ber 14,  1553.  In  the  great  hall  of  the  castle,  on 
August  24,  1569,  after  a  feast,  Jeanne  d'Albret  had  the 
Catholic  captains,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  at 
the  retaking  of  Orthez,  murdered,  although  Mont- 
gomery had  promised  them  their  lives.  It  is  thought 
that  the  massacre  of  S.  Bartholomew  was  intended  as 
a  revenge  for  this. 

The  Gave  de  Pau  rises  in  the  Cirque  de  Gavarnie, 
and  falls  into  the  Adour  after  joining  the  Gave  d'Oloron 
at  Peyrehorade.  The  plain  below  stretches  away  with 
villages  and  more  important  buildings  dotted  over  it, 
and  with  the  river  winding  away  to  the  right  and  the 
left.  The  hills  rise  gradually,  covered  with  woods  and 
vineyards,  while  behind  are  the  snow -crowned 
Pyrenees,  visible  for  a  length  of  sixty  miles  in  fine 
weather.  The  most  conspicuous  summit  is  the  Pic  du 
Midi  d'Ossau  to  the  right.  On  the  left,  near  the  other 
end  of  the  chain,  is  the  Pic  du  Midi  de  Bigorre,  while 
the  amphitheatre  of  the  Vignemale,  with  its  glacier, 
occupies  a  position  more  in  the  centre,  near  which  is 
the  Cirque  de  Gavarnie.  All  along  the  great  terrace 
little  blue  labels  are  attached  to  the  balustrade,  saying 


■i 


UOOU    IN    COUKTVAkl),    CASll.K    Al     I'AU. 


'^"o  face  pagf  loo. 


A   DOUBTFUL   ROAD  loi 

what  the  peak  or  other  interesting  object  in  front 
of  it  is. 

At  the  hotel  at  which  I  stayed  the  waitresses,  one  of 
whom  was  a  married  woman,  were  most  efficient, 
and  kept  a  whole  room  full  of  customers  well  supplied. 
The  restaurant  was  patronized  by  the  country  people 
on  market-days,  a  number  of  them  in  herets,  and  one 
or  two  with  jackets  hung  over  their  shoulders  ;  but  there 
was  very  httle  business  in  the  evening. 


MORLAAS. 

Morlaas  is  about  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Pau,  and 
there  is  a  steam  tram  which  starts  from  the  "  Centre," 
wherever  that  may  be.  I,  unfortunately,  was  too  late 
to  find  out  and  take  that  means  of  getting  there,  and 
was  obliged  to  make  use  of  "  Shanks'  mare."  I  asked 
three  people  on  the  Tarbes  road  if  it  was  the  way  to 
Morlaas,  and  they  all  said  "Yes."  But  my  map 
showed  quite  a  different  road,  and  there  was  no  tram- 
line, so  I  crossed  to  the  one  shown  on  the  map,  and 
asked  a  cyclist  if  it  led  to  Morlaas,  and  he  said  "  Yes." 
But  there  was  no  tram-hne.  After  a  time  it  appeared 
from  a  side  road,  and  I  followed  it  contentedly.  Then 
a  signpost  stated  that  another  road  went  to  Morlaas, 
which  was  at  right  angles  to  the  line  ;  but  I  thought  I 
might  rely  upon  the  signpost,  and  did  so.  At  Le 
Hameau,  an  enormous  building  in  which  many  people 


102  MORLAAS 

appear  to  live,  and,  I  suppose,  work  together,  the  Hne 

appeared  again. 

Near  here  a  bicycHst  addressed  me,  apparently 
offering  a  business  or  a  building  for  sale,  but  I  could  not 
understand  the  dialect  he  spoke  fully,  and  said  so, 
upon  which  he  asked  in  surprise,  **  Who  are  you,  then  ?" 
I  replied,  "  An  Englishman,"  upon  which  he  rode  off 
in  a  great  hurry.  This  year  I  had  three  similar  ex- 
periences in  or  outside  different  towns.  There  is  a 
long  ascent  to  the  hill  above  Morlaas,  which  completely 
conceals  the  houses,  and  compels  horse-drawn  vehicles 
to  slacken  their  pace,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  catching 
up  several  which  had  passed  me  some  way  from  the 
bottom  of  the  hill.  The  day  was  lovely,  the  mountains 
of  the  most  dehghtful  blue,  and  the  sky  sprinkled  with 
clouds,  which  were  brilhantly  relieved  by  the  clear 
portions,  and  tempered  the  sunlight. 

Morlaas  is  now  a  long,  straggling  street,  with  no 
signs  of  the  importance  which  once  attached  to  it. 
The  Church  of  S.  Foy,  which  was  what  I  specially  went 
to  see,  has  a  very  fine  doorway.  According  to  the 
charter,  it  was  built  by  Centulle  IV.  himself,  but  he 
died  in  1088,  and  it  was  not  used  for  services  till  1109. 
His  wife  was  related  to  him  within  the  prohibited 
degrees,  and  Pope  Gregory  VIL  reproached  him  for 
thus  violating  ecclesiastical  rule,  and  he  expiated  his 
sin  by  building  to  God  and  S.  Peter  a  church  at  the 
same  time  as  his  town  of  Morlaas,  under  the  name  of 
S.  Foy,  which  he   endowed    and   gave  to  S.  Peter  of 


THE   CHURCH   OF   S.   FOY  103 

Cluny  for  himself,  his  wife  Gisla,  and  his  son  Gaston. 
He  confided  his  wife  to  the  hands  of  his  brother, 
Hunand,  Abbot  of  Moissac,  to  enter  the  community  of 
Cluny,  which  she  did  in  the  Monastery  of  Marciniac. 
This  is  the  account  of  Pierre  de  Marca.  The  way  was 
thus  open  for  him  to  marry  again,  and  he  did  so  in  the 
same  year,  with  suspicious  alacrity.  His  bride  was 
Beatrix,  daughter  of  Bernard  I.,  sixth  Count  of  Bigorre. 
Two  years  later  Centulle  succeeded  to  the  countship 
by  the  death  of  his  brother-in-law. 

The  plan  of  the  church  is  very  similar  to  that  of 
S.  Croix,  Oloron,  but  the  greater  part  of  it  is  very 
much  later  than  the  celebrated  doorway.  The  nave 
arcade  is  of  five  bays,  late  pointed,  with  the  mouldings 
dying  away  into  the  polygonal  piers  ;  the  apses  and 
transepts  are  older,  and  are  roofed  with  barrel  vaults, 
with  pointed  supporting  arches  to  the  transept  and 
choir,  while  the  crossing  is  covered  with  quadripartite 
vaults,  and  the  aisle  roofs  rest  on  a  flying  buttress  • 
kind  of  arrangement.  The  nave  vault  is  of  wood  and 
sexpartite.  The  lighting  is  through  narrow,  round- 
headed  windows  in  the  aisles,  and  roses  of  various 
designs  above  the  nave  arcade.  Across  the  west  end 
runs  a  great  internal  porch,  as  at  S.  Bcrtrand  de 
Comminges,  with  arches  of  two  orders  on  three  sides, 
supported  on  coupled  columns.  The  vault  is  quadri- 
partite, the  ribs  springing  from  angle  columns  of  the 
same  height.  Caps  all  ruined,  no  doubt  when  Jeanne 
d'Albret  lighted  a  great  bonfire  against  the  fa9ade  in 


104  MORLAAS 

1 5 19,  "to  destroy  the  images  which  the  Papists  wor- 
shipped." At  the  same  time  the  vaults  were  thrown 
down,  and  the  church  remained  in  ruins  for  a  long 
time.  At  Lescar  similar  destruction  was  wrought 
with  the  same  intention. 

The  great  door  has  recently  been  restored  in  the 
thorough  French  fashion,  and  is  now  in  quite  good 
repair,  in  pink  and  yellow  sandstone,  with  portions 
of  the  old  work,  which,  I  suppose,  were  less  damaged. 
It  resembles  that  at  Oloron  Ste.  Marie  very  closely,  but 
is  more  ornate,  and  has  figures  stuck  on  the  angles  of 
the  jambs  between  the  columns.  In  the  centre  of  the 
big  tympanum  is  Christ  seated  in  an  aureole,  with  a 
book  in  His  left  hand  and  blessing  with  His  right. 
S.  Matthew's  angel  and  S.  John's  eagle  accompany 
Him,  one  on  each  side.  The  angel  appears  to  write 
on  his  tablets  the  leonine  verse  :  "  Rex  sum  coelorum, 
merces  condigna  meorum."  The  eagle  says  after 
Christ  :  "  Me  quicunque  colit  pro  vita  perdere  nolit." 
The  small  tympana  below  contain  Herod  ordering  the 
massacre  of  the  Innocents  and  the  flight  into  Egypt — 
a  cherub  either  leads  Joseph  or  points  out  a  well  to 
him.  The  foliage  of  the  ornamental  portions  must 
have  been  inventive  in  line  and  grouping  originally, 
the  restoration  preserving  something  of  the  feeling  of 
the  eleventh  century  in  the  design.  The  twenty-four 
elders  (with  the  Agnus  Dei  as  keystone)  have  more 
variety  than  at  S.  Marie.  Outside  all  comes  a  row 
of   contorted  figures  seated  on  a  big  roll  moulding. 


A   SPLENDID   SUNSET  105 

The  arch  is  over  30  feet  high,  and  is  flanked  by  two 
bhnd  arcades  right  and  left,  while  above  is  a  pointed 
bell-tower.  The  main  apse  has  three  squat,  round- 
headed  windows,  standing  on  a  billet  moulding  of  two 
rows  externally  ;  the  hood  of  each  arch  is  the  same 
on  a  smaller  scale.  The  arch  is  of  two  orders,  with 
very  deep  caps  and  squat  colonnettes,  and  beneath  the 
choir  a  Romanesque  crypt  still  remains. 

A  tiresome,  moaning  beggar  lay  wait  for  me,  and, 
as  there  was  nothing  whatever  to  do  at  Morlaas,  and 
four  hours  before  the  steam  tram  started,  I  determined 
to  walk  back.  It  was  about  5.30,  and  the  sun  was 
low  when  a  Httle  girl  hailed  me  from  an  adjoining 
field.  I  was  carrying  my  hat  in  my  hand,  and  her 
benevolent  intention  was  to  warn  me  that  that  was  the 
way  to  get  sunstroke  ! 

The  sunset  was  magnificent — a  sea  of  pale  yellow- 
green,  on  which  clouds  of  a  fierce  orange  were  relieved. 
Lower  down  there  was  a  tinge  of  pale  blood  colour,  and 
against  it  the  mountains  showed  a  dark  grey  purple. 
Farther  to  the  south  and  a  little  later  the  crescent 
moon  swam  in  a  chrysohte  sea  islanded  with  dark  grey 
clouds,  which  became  heavier  to  the  south-east,  blot- 
ting out  the  mountain  shapes. 

Oloron. 

Oloron  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Gaves 
d'Ossau  and  d'Aspe,  which  together  form  the  Gave 
d' Oloron.     It  is  the  second  of  the  commercial  towns 

14 


io6  OLORON 

of  the  Basses  Pyrenees,  having  considerable  manu- 
facturing industries.  Each  of  the  three  portions  into 
which  it  is  divided  by  the  watercourses,  which  run 
through  it  in  deep  rocky  chasms,  fining  the  air  with 
a  pleasant  sound  of  rushing  waters,  has  its  own  church. 
Oloron  proper,  or  Ste.  Croix,  between  the  Gave  d'Aspe 
and  the  Gave  d'Ossan  ;  Ste.  Marie,  on  the  httle  plain 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  latter  ;  and  the  new  quarters 
between  the  right  bank  of  the  Gave  d'Ossau  and  the 
lower  part  of  the  Rivulet  d'Escou.  In  the  ancient 
feudal  town,  Ste.  Croix,  are  houses  of  the  fifteenth, 
sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries,  the  remains  of 
a  fourteenth-century  castle,  and  ramparts  of  the  same 
date,  and  the  Church  of  S.  Croix,  contemporary  with 
the  foundation  of  the  town  in  1080.  This  crowns  the 
summit  of  the  steep  hill  up  which  the  town  climbs, 
and  behind  it,  on  a  rather  lower  level,  is  a  large  place, 
planted  with  trees  in  the  centre,  confined  within  an 
oval  space  defined  by  a  low  wall,  to  which  a  seat  is 
attached,  a  pleasant  shady  place  on  hot  afternoons 
and  airy  withal.  Round  this  place  houses  of  various 
dates  are  grouped,  and  from  it  an  extensive  view  may 
be  enjoyed  over  hill  and  plain. 

The  church  has  been  restored,  and  the  west  front  is 
entirely  new  ;  but  it  still  retains  a  good  deal  of  interest. 
The  nave  is  of  three  bays,  with  a  semicircular  barrel 
vault,  and  there  are  three  apses  preceded  by  one  bay 
of  a  barrel  vault.  The  piers  are  cruciform  in  plan, 
with  engaged  columns  on  each  face,  the  bases  resting 


"I'l.ACh"    Al     lOI'   Ol      nil'.    Mil. I,,   SIK.    CKOIX,   (JI.OKON. 


To  face  paBf  io6. 


THE  CHURCH   AT  STE.   CROIX  107 

on  large  circular  plateaux,  generally  bevelled,  though 
two  are  ornamented  with  balls,  as  at  St.  Bertrand  de 
Comminges.  Balls  are  used  as  claws  to  the  bases,  but 
one  of  those  on  the  pier  east  of  the  crossing  has  grim 
lions'  heads.  The  aisle  piers  have  square  bases  and  one 
engaged  column,  but  the  walls  are  very  irregular, 
The  windows  have  hood-moulds  of  twisted  cable  form 
inside.  The  nave  arcade  has  two  unmoulded  orders, 
and  a  band  of  carved  ornament  on  the  outer  one,  with 
a  fillet  in  place  of  a  hood-mould.  The  aisle  vaults  are 
quarter  circle,  and  the  vaulting  of  the  crossing  is  notic- 
able  for  its  interlacing  square  ribs,  which  spring  in 
diverging  couples  from  rough  corbels,  making  a  central 
octagon.  The  squinches  in  the  angles  have  painted 
shells  in  them,  apparently  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Along  the  springing  of  the  vault  a  string  runs,  sometimes 
moulded,  sometimes  carved,  and  the  supporting  arches 
have  two  unmoulded  orders,  continuing  the  pier  and 
engaged  column.  The  central  cupola  has  a  queer 
tower  and  roof  showing  the  brickwork  of  the  vault 
inside,  in  the  same  manner  as  at  the  Cathedral  of 
Treviso.  The  three  apses  are  enriched  with  billet 
cornices  of  a  large  roll  section  supported  on  modillions. 
The  varied  caps  of  the  north  door  are  noticeable  also. 

In  the  north  transept  is  a  great,  Spanish-looking, 
gilded  reredos  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  other 
altars  are  modern  French,  and  at  the  east  end  is  a  good 
deal  of  modern  decoration,  paintings  by  Romain  Cazes 
of  average  merit.     Round  the  apse    an  arcade  runs, 


io8  OLORON 

and  there  are  three  windows  in  it  with  colonnettes, 
carved  caps,  and  strings  ;  but  all  the  carving  has  been 
coloured  to  make  it  in  harmony  with  the  painting. 
The  style  of  the  carving  is  in  character  with  the  original, 
if  not  of  that  date.  The  material  is  a  hard  grey 
stone. 

At  Ste.  Marie,  the  ancient  and  ecclesiastical  town, 
a  thirteenth-century  tower  and  portions  of  the  episcopal 
palace  remain,  as  well  as  the  Church  of  S.  Marie, 
the  ancient  cathedral.  The  primitive  portions  of  this 
are  contemporary  with  S.  Croix,  but  the  church 
was  restored  three  hundred  years  later.  In  the  four- 
teenth century  they  wished  to  enlarge  the  choir  on  the 
radiating  plan  of  the  Northern  cathedrals,  but  only 
the  piers  and  five  apsidal  chapels  were  built.  At  the 
same  time  the  walls  of  the  nave  were  heightened.  The 
nave  has  enormous  piers  of  clustered  columns,  with 
quadripartite  vaulting,  and  two  arches  on  a  round 
column  filling  up  between,  on  the  same  scale  as  the 
aisles,  which  have  chapels  beyond  them,  increasing 
the  complexity  of  appearance  very  much.  There  are 
ocuh  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  walls,  and  deep  arches 
corresponding  to  the  clustered  piers.  The  choir  is  as 
lofty  as  the  dumpy  tower  on  the  south  end  of  the 
transept. 

The  schism  in  the  Western  Church  at  the  end  of 
the  fourteenth  century  interrupted  the  work,  and  during 
the  first  half  of  the  next  century  several  Bishops  were 
appointed  by  the  Antipopes.     A  square  tower  pierced 


IN  I  M-IIOK    Ol'     S.    (.K(il\,    OI.DUON. 


To  face  page  108. 


A  FINE   DOORWAY 


109 


with  pointed  arches  on  engaged  columns  with  caps, 
decorated  with  crouching  figures  of  animals,  was  built 
before  the  west  door,  thus  providing  a  porch.  It  has 
the  usual  pyramidal  roof.     The  Romanesque  doorway 


"  ^tmwm 


DETAIL    FROM    THE    WEST    DOOR,    S.    MARIE,    OLORON. 

beneath  is  interesting.  The  upper  archivolt  has 
radiating  seated  figures  of  the  twenty-four  apocalyptic 
elders,  playing  on  instruments,  with  the  Agnus  Dei  as 
keystone.     The   next   order  bears   the   works   of   the 


no  OLORON 

seasons,  hunting  and  fighting  scenes,  and  a  monstrous 
animal's  head.  The  tympanum  is  built  up  of  per- 
pendicular slabs  of  white  and  grey  marble.  It  repre- 
sents the  descent  from  the  cross,  and  is  very  quaint. 
The  cross  is  gemmed  like  an  early  Byzantine  cross  ; 
above  are  heads  of  the  sun  and  moon  emergent  from 
hanging  drapery  supported  by  their  hands.  To  the 
right  is  a  figure  holding  a  claw-hammer,  and  another 
stretching  up  to  take  the  nail  from  the  hand  with 
pincers.  Nicodemus  or  Joseph  clasps  the  body.  The 
other  hand  is  loose,  and  is  sup- 
ported by  one  of  the  Maries.  The 
Virgin  stands  behind  —  at  least, 
this  figure  has  a  nimbus  and 
answers  to  one  on  the  other  side 
with  the  hammer,  also  nimbed, 
and,  I  suppose,  S.  John.  Below 
the  cross  are  a  floriated  monogram 
and  a  bull's  head  to  fill  up  at  the  bottom.  In  the  small 
tympana — on  one  side  our  Lord  is  seated  with  one 
foot  on  a  footstool  within  a  vesica,  blessing,  between 
two  lions  with  curly  tails,  who  look  over  their  shoulders 
at  Him.  On  the  other  side  is  a  figure  between  two 
griffins,  which,  I  think,  must  be  Daniel,  but  the  beasts 
are  certainly  griffins  with  wings  and  floriated  tails. 
A  ball  border  surrounds  these  tympana.  The  material 
in  all  these  tympana  looks  newer  than  the  carvings, 
which  may  be  copies,  especially  as  the  door  is  divided 
by  a  modern  stone  column  resting  on  a  caryatid  group 


MONOGRAM,    WEST    DOOR, 
S.    MARIE,    OLORON. 


•i-  t--J 


i3tjV 


/^ 


.U4., 


A   MORSEL   OF   HISTORY  iii 

of  captives.  Under  the  waggon  vault  of  the  porch, 
over  the  doorway,  a  triple  arcade  is  pierced  with 
corresponding  niches  in  the  wall  behind.  The  doorway 
is  flanked  by  columns  with  curious  carved  caps,  and 
above,  on  each  side,  are  statues  of  men-at-arms  and 
monsters  devouring  human  beings.  The  elders,  the 
figures  inserted  above  the  sides  of  the  arch,  the  inner 
mouldings,  and  the  cable  mouldings  round  the  small 
arches,  have  been  coloured  yellow,  the  rest  remaining 
white  marble — I  suppose  in  imitation  of  the  pink 
and  orange  sandstone  at  Morlaas.  Inside  on  the 
nave  walls  are  some  extraordinary  panels  in  relief, 
coloured  and  gilded  ;  the  pulpit  groups  with  them  as  a 
monstrosity. 

In  Gallo-Roman  times  Oloron  was  one  of  the  twelve 
cities  of  Novempopulonia.  The  name  is  derived  from 
the  Celtiberian  Iluro,  a  goddess  honoured  by  the 
Pyrenean  mountaineers,  to  whom  votive  altars  have 
been  found.  The  ancient  town  appears  to  have  occu- 
pied the  hill  of  Ste.  Croix.  Towards  the  time  of  Augus- 
tus it  descended  into  the  valley,  and  in  the  fourth 
century  became  the  seat  of  a  bishopric  founded  by 
Gratus,  known  locally  as  S.  Grat.  After  the  invasions 
of  the  Vascons  in  the  sixth  and  of  the  Arabs  in  the 
seventh  centuries,  the  ruined  Roman  city  was  aban- 
doned, and  so  remained  till  the  eleventh,  when  the 
Bishops  determined  to  re-establish  it.  In  1080  Cen- 
tulle  IV.,  Viscount  of  Beam,  built  a  second  town, 
opposite    to    the    renewed    episcopal   city,    occupying 


112  OLORON 

what  was  thought  to  be  the  site  of  the  Celtiberian 
town,  which  also  took  the  name  of  Oloron.  Under 
the  same  name  the  two  towns  preserved  a  distinct 
existence  till  the  union  of  Beam  to  the  royal  domain 
under  Henri  IV.  Then  the  two  jurisdictions,  feudal 
and  ecclesiastical,  were  merged  in  the  royal.  Schisms 
which  sometimes  put  two  prelates  at  the  head  of  the 
diocese  at  the  same  time  had  weakened  the  ecclesi- 
astical authority,  as  well  as  the  fruitless  endeavours 
of  Bishop  Roussel  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  gain  the 
people  over  to  the  Reform.  He  died  in  consequence 
of  an  attack  made  upon  him  when  he  was  preaching 
in  its  favour,  one  of  his  assailants  throwing  him  out 
of  the  pulpit.  From  that  time  onward  it  was  the 
centre  of  the  Catholic  resistance,  but  in  1569  Mont- 
gomery's campaign  established  the  Reform  by  force. 
After  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  however, 
the  dragonnades  of  the  terrible  Foucault  produced 
more  than  20,000  abjurations.  In  1790  the  bishopric 
was  abolished,  but  it  was  made  the  capital  of  the 
department  in  1795-96. 

It  does  not  always  do  to  assume  that  water  which 
one  sees  flowing  from  a  spout  into  a  trough  is  drinkable. 
One  of  our  water-drinking  friends  had  an  experience 
in  another  part  of  the  Pyrenees  showing  this,  when  he 
quenched  his  thirst  from  a  spring  with  medicinal 
properties,  and  suffered  severely  for  doing  so  !  At 
Oloron  we  were  on  the  point  of  drinking  from  a  similar 
spout  in  the  side  of  a  hill  when  a  friendly  old  woman 


A   MISTY   MORNING  113 

stopped  us.  We  found  afterwards  that  it  was  really 
a  spout  for  waste  water  from  a  pump  higher  up  the 
hill,  and  could  not  be  relied  on  for  purity. 

Perhaps  one  ought  to  note  the  monumental  ascent 
to  the  hill  of  Ste.  Croix,  put  up  in  1900  under  President 
Loubet,  an  effort  of  architecture  not  entirely  successful 
but  at  least  convenient  as  shortening  the  way  from  the 
lower  to  the  upper  town. 

LOURDES    AND    LUZ. 

On  my  last  journey  I  went  from  Pau  to  Lourdes, 
not  being  attracted  in  the  least  by  the  special  reputa- 
tion of  the  place — though  there  is  a  point  of  view 
from  which  that  is  of  absorbing  interest — but  because 
the  branch  railway  to  Luz,  where  there  is  a  fortified 
Templars'  church,  which  I  wished  to  see  and  describe, 
starts  from  that  place.  The  morning  was  very  thick, 
but  as  the  mists  dispersed,  and  one's  range  of  vision 
gradually  increased,  first  clumps  of  trees  and  houses 
became  perceptible  within  half  a  mile  or  so,  then 
the  lower  hills  disclosed  their  silhouettes  backed  by 
the  masses  of  vapour  in  the  valleys  beyond,  and 
then  an  occasional  snowy  peak  peeped  through  a 
gap  in  the  rising  mists.  It  was  a  long  time  before 
the  entire  outline  of  even  the  lower  mountains  could 
be  seen,  and  at  first  only  in  a  pale  silhouette  broken 
here  and  there  with  brilliant  cloud  forms,  but  the 
mist    masses    were    less    sohd   than    the  day  before, 

15 


114  LOURDES   AND   LUZ 

and  more  of  the  mountain  outlines  were  perceptible. 
About  half-way  between  Pau  and  Lourdes  the  com- 
bination of  mountain,  tree,  and  torrent  is  most  attrac- 
tive, and  the  railway  has  thoughtfully  made  a  halte 
close  by  (Dufau),  so  that  the  train  slackens,  and  one 
has  time  to  take  it  in.  It  is  only  the  stopping  trains 
which  do  this,  of  course,  but  in  such  a  district  it  is 
wisest  to  take  these  slow  trains,  by  which  one  can 
see  more  of  the  life  of  the  people  as  well  as  of  the  land- 
scape, and  generally  have  a  second-class  compartment 
almost,  or  quite,  to  oneself ;  most  travellers  being 
bitten  with  the  desire  to  get  to  their  journey's  end 
as  quickly  as  possible.  The  defile  before  arriving  at 
St.  Pe  is  rather  fine,  the  river  making  an  effective 
foreground.  Some  of  the  Lourdes  hotels  get  their 
electric  power  from  works  two  stations  away  on  this 
line. 

The  situation  of  Lourdes  is  magnificent  ;  both  the 
castle  and  the  churches  are  quite  theatrically  placed, 
and  the  mountains  assist  the  effect  enormously.  Great 
crosses  are  silhouetted  high  up  against  the  sky  in 
several  places,  and  down  by  the  grottoes  people  and 
banners  swarmed. 

The  old  town  is  absolutely  distinct  in  situation, 
appearance,  inhabitants,  and  origin,  from  the  new. 
It  surrounds  a  little  scarped  plateau,  crowned  by  the 
fortress,  on  three  sides.  Originally  the  feudal  castle, 
it  is  now  a  prison.  Of  the  medieval  period  only  a 
much  restored  square  donjon  of  the  fourteenth  century, 


THE   CASTLE   AT   LOURDES  115 

a  turret,  and  two  covered  ways  remain.  There  is 
also  one  gateway  of  the  town  walls  of  the  same  period. 
From  the  ninth  century  to  the  eighteenth  it  was  the 
principal  town  of  Bigorre,  and  its  possession  was 
disputed  most  bitterly  by  the  armies  which  marched 
to  and  fro.  Two  sieges  were  necessary  to  enable  the 
French  again  to  possess  it— one  in  1393  (unsuccessful) , 
and  the  second  in  1406.  This  lasted  for  eighteen 
months  !  The  castle  played  its  role  during  the  rehgious 
wars  of  the  sixteenth  century,  was  transformed  into 
a  state  prison  under  Louis  XIV.,  and  so  remained  till 
the  time  of  Napoleon  I. 

At  Lourdes  I  had  dejeuner  beneath  the  trees  at  a 
restaurant  close  by  the  station.  A  wedding-party  of 
four  was  also  refreshing  itself,  and  afterwards  travelled 
with  me  to  Pierrefitte.  I  think  they  were  of  the  work- 
girl  class.  They  sang  during  the  journey,  and  were 
quite  as  demonstrative  as  the  German  newly  married, 
which  is  saying  a  good  deal,  if  one  may  trust  the 
behaviour  of  such  couples  in  Italy  as  typical !  The 
bridegroom  resembled  his  bride  more  than  he  did  the 
elderly  man,  his  companion,  who  appeared  to  be  his 
own  father,  which  struck  me  as  strange. 

A  little  way  out  of  Lourdes  an  electric  railway  runs 
straight  up  the  mountain  side— to  a  grotto,  I  understood. 
It  looked  very  odd,  especially  the  passing  place  for 
the  trains.  Here  and  there  were  ruins  on  the  summits 
of  outlying  spurs  of  the  mountains  which  were  most 
beautiful,  both  in  form  and  colour,  especially  when  they 


ii6  LOURDES  AND   LUZ 

gave  back,  making  amphitheatres.  The  tops  of  some 
of  them  were  hidden  in  the  clouds. 

At  Pierrefitte  one  sees  the  cars  from  Cauterets 
descending  the  zigzag  incHne,  while  the  Luz  cars  wait 
below.  There  are  three  lines  switched  together.  At 
first  sight  the  road  zigzags  confuse  those  of  the  rail, 
and  the  effect  of  automatic  models  (such  as  one  used  to 
see  at  the  Polytechnic  in  Regent  Street  fifty  years  ago) 
is  entertaining.  Here  the  drivers  take  the  handles  off 
the  car-engines,  which  are  governed  by  overhead  wires. 
The  gorge  of  Pierrefitte  is  certainly  fine,  and  the  great 
height  of  the  mountains  dwarfs  everything.  The  eleva- 
tions in  the  grass  look  like  little  wrinkles  in  a  green 
cloth,  the  openings  into  the  mines,  the  scattered 
timbers,  the  railings,  and  bridges  like  children's  toys. 
The  mountain  forms  are  fine,  delicate  in  curvature,  and 
refined  in  angle,  the  slopes  clothed  with  trees,  and  so 
steep  as  to  give  the  impression  of  the  perpendicular  ; 
a  few  clouds  clinging  round  the  summits,  or  making 
a  background  to  them,  added  to  the  impression  of 
height  and  gave  variety.  Down  in  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  the  stream  tumbles  and  gushes,  and  the  many 
small  tributaries,  as  well  as  the  main  stream,  fill  the 
air  with  that  sound  of  rushing  water  which  is  always 
so  pleasant.  While  I  was  wandering  on  the  hills,  the 
clouds  gathered  and  crept  down  their  sides,  also  inter- 
cepting the  sunlight.  The  difference  in  effect  was 
quite  extraordinary,  and  the  loss  very  great. 

The  Templars'  Church  at  Luz,  which  was  what  I 


ii8  LOURDES   AND   LUZ 

went  out  to  see,  is  surrounded  by  a  battlemented  wall 
battered  at  the  bottom,  with  irregular  stones  placed 
on  the  slabs  on  the  top  of  the  battlements  to  weight 
them,  I  suppose  an  indication  of  rough  weather.  There 
are  two  doors  of  entry,  one  being  through  a  tower,  and 
above  this  door  is  a  projecting  defensive  work.  The 
other  door  leads  to  the  main  door  of  the  church,  which 
is  a  rather  fine  example  of  Romanesque,  with  two 
unmoulded  arches  surrounding  the  tympanum,  two 
roll  mouldings  with  a  hollow  on  both  sides  and  between 
them,  the  outer  one  being  ornamented  with  billets 
and  with  a  curious  pattern  on  the  outermost  arch 
which  looks  as  if  copied  from  the  wire  preparation  for 
an  enamelled  pattern.  Below  the  roll  moulding  are 
two  columns  set  in  the  angle,  and  a  carved  impost 
moulding  follows  the  shape  of  the  orders.  One  of  the 
bases  has  claws.  The  tympanum  shows  Our  Lord  in 
the  usual  position  in  a  vesica  supported  by  the  symbols 
of  the  Evangelists.  Joanne  says  there  are  twelfth- 
century  inscriptions  in  various  places.  I  did  not  see 
them.  The  church  itself  has  a  short  nave,  a  barrel 
vault  with  three  unmoulded,  sUghtly  pointed  sus- 
taining arches,  then  one  bay  with  round  arches  piercing 
the  wall  on  each  side,  and  a  semicircular  apse,  the  vault 
of  which  is  also  slightly  pointed.  A  chapel  to  each  side 
make  the  plan  cruciform.  These  have  quadripartite 
vaulting,  the  ribs  a  simple  roll. 

The  apse  vault  is  painted,  the  work  of  a  priest  who 
signs  it  "  M.  D.  Bou,  1880."     It  represents  Christ  as  the 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS  119 

lawgiver,  with  angels  round  bearing  symbols  of  the 
Passion,  etc.  The  impost  mouldings  are  of  the 
simplest.  Outside  the  small  north  door  is  a  child's 
sarcophagus  set  in  the  wall,  dated  1237.  ^^^  round 
the  church  below  the  eaves  runs  a  row  of  small  mitre- 
headed  openings  to  air  the  vaults,  perhaps  a  later 
chemin  de  ronde,  for  the  crenellated  enceinte  surrounds 
the  cemetery,  and  is  pierced  with  a  double  row  of  loop- 
holes. A  small  museum  has  been  formed  of  objects 
found  locally. 

While  I  wandered  on  the  grassy  slopes  spangled  with 
the  blooms  of  the  autumn  crocuses,  I  heard  the  bell 
ringing  for  a  funeral.  I  had  previously  seen  the  coffin 
taken  to  the  house  of  death,  and  arranged  in  the 
doorway  upon  two  chairs,  covered  with  a  white  cloth, 
and  with  two  lighted  tapers  set  upon  it.  Many  black- 
veiled  women  followed  the  coffin  as  well  as  some  men, 
and,  of  course,  lots  of  boys.  The  custom  of  the 
funeral  feast,  I  understand,  still  obtains  at  Luz.  After 
the  ceremony  the  mourners  return  to  it,  walking  in 
two  rows,  the  women  wearing  a  black  hood.  This 
may  explain  the  large  attendance. 

I  saw  one  knocker  at  Luz  like  the  fine  Spanish  ones. 
A  heavy  ring  punched  all  over  with  two  punches  in 
a  pattern,  set  on  an  elevation  which  was  vandyked 
round,  as  well  as  the  block  on  which  the  ring  struck. 
Several  ruined  castles  and  churches  on  isolated  points 
made  picturesque  objects.  There  was  the  Castle  of 
Ste.  Marie  just  above  Luz,  with  two  towers,  one  round 


120  LOURDES   AND   LUZ 

and  one  square,  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
turies, formerly  the  principal  fortress  of  the  whole 
Valley  of  Bareges,  of  which  Luz  was  the  principal  town ; 
also  a  church  a  little  above,  and  another  a  little  below 
the  town,  and  a  rather  important  one  near  Argeles, 
which  looked  Romanesque.  Some  of  the  slated  towers 
here  are  also  exceedingly  quaint  in  form. 

As  we  returned  to  Lourdes,  there  was  a  smoky  mist 
through  which  the  castle  silhouetted  finely  against 
the  warm  sky,  no  detail  showing  ;  and  I  thought  of 
the  heroic  defender  of  the  castle  for  the  English,  whose 
story  is  told  in  the  chapter  on  Orthez,  and  the  vil- 
lainous behaviour  of  that  magnificent  ruffian,  Gaston 
Phoebus,  to  him. 

In  the  train  was  a  family  of  three,  mother,  son,  and 
daughter.  The  girl  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  a  young 
woman,  and  if  she  had  been  on  a  rather  smaller  scale, 
would  have  been  almost  beautiful.  As  it  was,  she  was 
a  magnificent  creature  except  for  her  features.  Her 
face  and  arms  were  burnt  a  fine  colour  by  the  sun. 
They  were  interested  in  some  guessing  competition, 
and  there  was  much  puckering  of  brows  and  tapping 
of  pencils  against  teeth,  etc.  Suddenly  the  girl  cried 
out  "  Victoire  !"  but  whether  that  was  one  of  the  words 
to  be  found  out,  or  expressed  her  triumph  in  her  success, 
I  didn't  gather,  as  we  just  then  arrived  at  Lourdes, 
and  I  had  to  hurry  out  to  claim  my  bag  from  the 
consigne. 


TARBES  121 


Tarbes. 


Tarbes  is  first  mentioned  in  a  passage  of  the  Notices 
of  the  Provinces  of  the  Roman  Empire  in  the  fourth 
century  :  "  Civitas  Turba  ubi  castrum  Bigorra."  This 
city  did  not  occupy  the  present  site,  however,  and  is 
beheved  to  have  been  some  seven  miles  to  the  south- 
east, where  Cieutat  (Civitas)  stands,  an  opinion  con- 
firmed by  the  debris  of  ancient  constructions  found 
there.  The  bishopric  of  Bigorre,  of  which  Tarbes  was 
the  seat,  does  not  go  back  beyond  the  fifth  century. 
It  was  the  presence  of  Bishop  and  Chapter  which  made 
the  town  important,  but  the  possession  of  the  reHcs 
of  S.  Missohn  added  greatly  to  its  riches.  He  was  a 
priest  who  defended  the  country  against  the  Vandals 
\vdth  great  heroism,  and  sacrificed  his  life  in  the  contest. 
As  long  ago  as  the  time  of  Gregory  of  Tours  he  was 
honoured  at  Tarbes  as  a  saint,  and  many  pilgrimages 
were  made  to  his  shrine. 

The  town  suffered  cruelly  in  the  wars  of  religion. 
In  1569  Montgomery  took  and  sacked  it,  driving  the 
Catholic  inhabitants  away.  After  a  few  months  they 
gradually  returned,  so  he  sent  his  Ueutenant  Baron  de 
Montamat  to  punish  them,  who  left  the  town  "  a  heap 
of  ruins."  In  1592  the  leaguers  of  Comminges  ravaged 
the  surrounding  districts,  and  it  was  not  until  Henri  IV. 
was  undisputed  Sovereign  that  some  prosperity  returned 
to  the  unhappy  district.  Froissart  wrote  of  it  : 
"  Tarbes  is  a  fine  large  town,  being  in  the  open  country 

16 


122  TARBES 

and  among  beautiful  vineyards."  It  is  now  again  one  of 
the  most  happily  situated  of  the  chief  towns  of  France, 
lying  in  one  of  the  finest  plains  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Adour,  which  divides  into  several  arms,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  artificial  channels,  so  that  the  sound  of  running 
water  is  heard  all  about  it,  and  in  several  of  the 
open  spaces  big  trees  flourish,  while  fruit  gardens  and 
orchards  encompass  the  houses.  It  is  celebrated  also 
for  horse-breeding,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  citizens. 

The  Place  Maubourguet,  in  the  centre  of  the  town, 
is  picturesque  on  market-day,  when  the  booths  are 
put  up  beneath  the  shade  of  the  trees,  and  the  country  • 
women  sit  by  their  fruit  and  vegetables,  or  with  eggs, 
fowls,  and  other  poultry,  while  the  big  fountain  splashes, 
and  the  modern  group  of  '*  The  Flood  "  which  decorates 
it  ghmmers  white  in  the  sunlight.  In  another  square, 
the  "  Forail,"  cattle  and  horses  are  for  sale  under  the 
shade  of  lofty  plane-trees,  and  from  yet  another  tree- 
planted  place  fine  views  of  the  mountains  may  be 
seen,  and  always  the  rushing  of  water  is  heard  in  the 
channels  beneath  the  flags,  and  always  dehghtful 
gardens  surround  the  villas  a  little  way  from  the  centre 
of  the  town. 

The  Counts  of  Bigorre  had  a  castle  here,  but  never 
occupied  it  much,  and  the  only  tower  which  remains 
now  forms  part  of  the  prison.  It  is  known  as  the  Tower 
of  Marguerite  of  Beam.  The  ancient  cathedral,  Notre 
Dame  de  la  Sede,  is  a  building  of  mixed  styles.     The 


NOTRE  DAME  DE  LA  S£DE       123 

nave  is  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  pro- 
longed in  the  eighteenth  century  by  one  bay,  and  with 
a  fagade  still  unfinished.  The  crossing  is  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  forming  an  octagonal  lantern 
beneath  a  massive  bell-tower.  The  two  transepts  are 
of  the  same  century,  but  earlier,  and  half  Romanesque 
in  style,  and  the  three  apses  are  pure  Romanesque, 
the  largest,  in  the  centre,  forming  the  choir.  In  the 
north  apse  are  some  pretty  arches  of  the  thirteenth 
century  ;  the  high-altar  and  grilles,  galleries  and  con- 
fessionals in  the  nave  are  all  eighteenth-century.  The 
restoration  of  the  building  was  necessitated  by  the 
damage  wrought  by  the  Huguenots. 

In  general  plan  the  church  is  almost  sister  to 
S.  Caprais,  Agen,  and  the  relative  proportions  are  also 
similar,  only  there  are  no  radiating  chapels  round  the 
apse,  and  the  main  arches  of  the  crossing  are  less  broad* 
The  ornamentation  is  richer  in  S.  Caprais.  The  con- 
struction at  Tarbes  follows  that  at  Souillac  and  Solignac. 
The  crossing  and  the  nave  were  only  vaulted  during 
the  Gothic  period,  though  the  archivolts  of  the  Eastern 
absidioles  are  pointed,  another  point  of  similarity  to 
S.  Caprais.  It  has  been  very  thoroughly  repaired  out- 
side in  modern  times,  and  most  of  the  stonework  and 
a  good  deal  of  the  brickwork  appear  to  be  new.  The 
construction  is  of  big  pebbles  set  in  mortar  with  stripes 
of  bricks — one,  two,  and  three  courses,  and  in  places  an 
irregular  chequer  of  brick  and  stone.  The  brick  and 
stone  occur  similarly  in  the  quoins  and  some  of  the 


124  TARBES 

buttresses.  In  the  north  transept  is  a  wheel  window 
with  foiled  centre  and  two  rows  of  trefoil-headed 
arches  on  little  colonnettes,  in  the  outer  alternating 
with  round  arches.  Outside  the  stonework  is  a  circle 
of  brick  corbels,  and  above  this  is  a  double  trefoil  hght, 
the  whole  enclosed  in  a  border  of  brick  mouldings  of 
a  nondescript  form.  The  other  transept  has  a  row  of 
three  round-headed  windows.  The  conflict  between 
the  pointed  arches  and  the  late  Renaissance  decoration 
is  rather  distressing,  the  latter  being  good  of  its  kind, 
especially  in  the  ironwork,  and  employing  very  fine 
marbles. 

A  child's  funeral  took  place  while  I  was  there,  and 
was  affecting ;  its  playmates,  Httle  mites  of  four  and 
five  years,  or  even  less,  carrying  tapers  and  supporting 
the  pall,  which  is  carried  separately,  and  was  white  in 
this  case.  Meanwhile  Mass  was  going  on  at  a  side- 
altar. 

The  Carmelite  Church  of  S.  Theresa  abuts  on  another 
of  the  great  tree-planted  spaces.  It  has  an  octagonal 
bell-tower,  with  brick  spire  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
The  church  was  built  in  1282,  but  has  been  much 
altered  by  restorations  in  both  the  fifteenth  and  nine- 
teenth centuries.  In  the  Jardin  Massey  is  a  museum 
of  some  interest,  and  the  garden  proper  is  very  delight- 
ful both  for  flowers,  flowering  shrubs,  and  trees,  which 
grow  luxuriantly  ;  but  the  most  interesting  thing  in  it 
is  the  cloister  of  S.  Sever  de  Rustan,  which  was  made 
for  the  Carmehtes  of   Trie  in  the  fifteenth  century, 


CLOISTER  IN  THE  JARDIN  MASSEY  123 
bought  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  by  the  monks 
of  S.  Sever,  and  finally  transported  to  Tarbes  in  1895. 
Joanne  says  the  caps  show  the  history  of  Elijah  and 
EHsha,  the  presumed  founders  of  the  Carmelites.     The 


CAPITAL  FROM  S.  SEVER  DE  RUSTAN,  JARDIN  MASSEY,  TARBES. 

drawings  will  show  that  they  are  concerned  with  more 
sacred  history  than  that ;  and  according  to  an  article 
by  the  Abbe  Caneto  in  the  Revue  de  Gascogne  in  1871, 
when  the  cloister  was  still  attached  to  its  eleventh- 
century  church,   on   the  south   and   nortli    were  his- 


126  TARBES 

torical  scenes  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
(including  S.  Martha  accompanied  by  the  Tarasque  !). 
In  1575  a  Calvinist  party  of  Bearnais  massacred  the 
Benedictines,  with  several  ecclesiastics  of  the  vicinity 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
which  was  sacked  and  burnt,  together  with  the  monas- 
tery, after  the  pleasant  fashion  of  those  days.  It  was 
after  this  that  a  restoration  was  undertaken,  and  then 
fragments  of  the  cloister  of  the  Carmes  at  Trie  were 
brought  and  re-erected.  There  were  forty  double 
columns  with  twin  caps.  This  explains  the  two  styles 
which  are  so  evident,  and  the  fact  that  the  iconography 
is  of  the  sixteenth  century,  while  the  mode  of  attach- 
ment to  the  church  at  S.  Sever  de  Rustan  showed  that 
the  cloister  was  placed  there  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  shafts  are  generally  of  coloured  marble,  though  not 
invariably.  A  few  of  the  bases  are  carved  as  well  as 
moulded,  and  I  observed  that  fourteenth  -  century 
foliage  occurred  on  the  same  pieces  of  marble  as  some 
of  the  most  inadequate  figure  subjects,  proving  that  it 
was  the  individual  craftsman  who  was  in  fault,  and 
not  his  period. 

St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges. 

St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Vallee  de  Luchon,  is  the  modern  representative  of  the 
ancient  Lugdunum  Convenarum,  founded  in  72  B.C., 
though  numerous  discoveries  of  the  Gaulish  epoch,  the 


ROMAN    REMAINS  127 

Iron  and  Bronze  and  the  Stone  Ages,  prove  that  the 
country  was  inhabited  long  before.     S.  Jerome  states, 
in  his  book  against  Vigilantius,  that  Pompey,  pressed 
to  go  to  Rome  to  receive  the  honour  of  a  triumph  for 
the  pacification  of  Spain,   obUged  the  brigands  and 
mountaineers  to  descend  from  the  heights,  and  assem- 
bled them  in  an  oppidum,  which  therefore  received 
the  name  of  **  Urbs  Convenarum."     Among  them  were 
men  of  many  tribes,  the  debris  of  the  valiant  army  of 
Sertorius.     Since    the    town    was    not    named    after 
Pompey,   the  inference  is  that  there  was  a  Gaulish 
settlement   there   already,    which   bore   the   name    of 
Lugudunum    (lug,   a   marsh;   and   dinu    a   height,   in 
Celtic,  suggest  an  origin  for  the  name) ,  which  is  men- 
tioned for  the  first  time  about  a.d.  19,  when  Strabo 
states  that  the  Convenae  had  Latin  law,  which  Augustus 
gave   them.     The  ruins   of   the   Roman  fortifications 
stretch  from  the  citadel  (the  present  town)  to  Valcabrere 
(which   was   the   lower   town),    and   Roman   remains, 
including   an   amphitheatre   and   a   naumachia,   have 
been  found  as  far  as  the  bank  of  the  Garonne.     The 
city  had   50,000  inhabitants.     A   Roman  road  went 
through  it  from  Dax  to  Toulouse,  and  one  to  Agen, 
and  another  to  Luchon  branched  from  it.     The  name 
"  Labroquere,"    by    which     the     bridge     across     the 
Garonne  is  known,  is  an  alteration  of  a  local  word 
meaning  "  fork,"  and  near  it  a  miliary  stone,  with  an 
inscription  of  the  third  century,  was  erected,  and  has 
been  found.     An  inscription  of  the  end  of  the  fourth 


128  ST.    BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

century,  or  beginning  of  the  fifth,  has  been  found  at 
Valentine,  to  a  certain  Nymfius,  who,  as  duumvir, 
had  given  magnificent  fetes  at  Lugudunum,  to  the 
applause  of  the  people  heaped  on  the  steps  of  the  circus. 
He  was  a  Christian,  a  good  administrator,  loved  and 
esteemed  by  all,  and  a  good  husband,  for  his  wife, 
Serena,  declares  in  the  inscription  that  she  had  lived 
happily  with  him  for  forty  years.  Sidonius  Apollinaris 
— about  475 — wrote  a  letter  to  Basilius,  Bishop  of 
Comminges.  Macarius,  Bishop  at  the  end  of  the  fifth 
century,  was  a  disciple  of  S.  Martin,  and  his  rehcs  are 
preserved  at  Bordeaux  ;  and  Suavis,  Bishop  of  Com- 
minges, was  at  the  Council  of  Agde  in  506.  The 
official  "  Notitia  provinciarum  et  civitatum "  of 
Honorius  (395-423)  names  Civitas  Convenarum  as  one 
of  the  twelve  bishoprics  of  Novempopulonia,  but 
Christianity  existed  before  then  in  Lugudunum,  as  the 
inscription  in  S.  Just  de  Valcabrere  shows.  The  Visi- 
goths defeated  the  Roman  armies  at  Toulouse  in  439. 
Their  laws  were  good,  and  the  people  said  :  "  We  would 
rather  live  as  free  men  under  the  Goths,  though  with 
the  name  of  slaves,  than  be  free  but  in  name  under 
the  Romans."  When  Clovis  gained  most  of  Gaul  by 
the  victory  of  Vouille  in  507,  became  Christian,  and 
made  Paris  his  capital,  the  Visigoths  were  rolled  back 
to  Spain,  only  preserving  Septimania  in  Gaul,  of  which 
Carcassonne  was  the  capital  (so  called  from  the  seven 
bishoprics  of  the  diocese  of  Narbonne,  Carcassonne, 
Beziers,  Agde,  Lodeve,  Maguelonne,  Nimes,  and  Elne) . 


VIEW   OF   THE   PYRENEES  129 

The  medieval  seal  of  the  Consuls  of  Valcabrere  bore  a 
kid,  with  the  legend,  "  sigillum  vallis  caprari^," 
which  explains  the  modern  name.  In  1300  it  was  the 
capital  of  La  Barousse,  a  little  state  called  "  of  the  four 
valleys/'  a  sort  of  republic  with  charters  from  the 
Barons  of  Mauleon  and  the  Counts  of  Labarthe,  who 
had  a  castle  there.  After  the  extinction  of  the  House 
of  Armagnac,  it  was  united  to  the  French  crown. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning  when  we  started  to  pay  a 
visit  to  the  town,  and  the  Pyrenees  were  in  full  view 
all  the  way  from  Tarbes,  beautiful  in  form  and  charm- 
ing in  their  v^aried  colour,  with  snow-patches  visible 
here  and  there  in  hollows  and  crowning  the  most  lofty 
peaks.  From  the  station  of  Labroquere  we  had  a 
pleasant  walk  along  a  good  road — a  walk  the  pleasure 
of  which  was  increased  by  the  civil  greetings  of  the 
peasants  whom  we  met.  The  beasts  were  being 
brought  out  to  pasture,  and  here  and  there  a  woman 
sat  among  the  vines  and  mulberries  (which  were 
trained  elaborately,  somewhat  like  vines  which  we  had 
seen  at  San  Gemignano  in  the  shape  of  a  great  cup), 
whose  business  it  was  to  look  after  them. 

The  gate  of  the  churchyard  of  S.  Just,  Valcabrere, 
has  an  arch  from  some  Romanesque  building,  the 
archivolt  ornamented  with  a  torus  moulding  and  a 
chequer  border,  resting  on  two  crocketed  caps  turned 
upside  down  one  on  the  other  on  each  side,  and  sup- 
ported by  a  colonnette  with  a  Romanesque  base. 
The  dedication  is  to  SS.  Justus  and  Pastor,  children 

17 


130  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

martyred  under  Diocletian  in  304  at  Complutum  in 
Spain,  and  the  church  is  largely  composed  of  antique 
materials,  including  many  carved  fragments.  The 
earliest  portions,   it  is  thought,   may  date  from  the 

seventh  century.  The 
west  wall  is  flanked  by 
four  buttresses,  and  still 
shows  traces  of  a  little 
lintelled  door  walled  up 
long  ago.  The  floor, 
covered  with  marble 
slabs,  is  ten  steps  below 
the  level  of  the  church- 
yard, and  the  vaults 
are  supported  on  piers, 
some  of  which  have 
pilaster  strips  toward 
the  nave,  and  some 
coupled  columns  to  sup- 
port the  strengthening 
arches  of  the  waggon 
vaults  (those  under  the 
tower)  ;  in  the  aisles 
quarter  -  circle  arches 
spring  from  brackets. 
Three  apses  terminate  the  nave  and  aisles  of  four  bays, 
the  central  one  being  the  sanctuary.  The  length  is  81 
feet,  the  breadth  41  feet.  Round  the  apse  runs  a  wall- 
arcade  of  eleven  round  arches  upon  a  kind  of  stylobate. 


PLAN    OF    S.    JUST,    VALCABRERE. 


THE   CHURCH   AT   VALCABRERE  131 

A  similar  arcading  of  three  arches  is  on  the  wall  of  the 
eastern  bay  of  the  north  aisle,  and  remains  of  a  similar 
wall  arcading  face  it  in  the  south  aisle,  the  eastern 
bay  of  nave  and  aisles  having  served  as  transept. 
The  main  arch  of  the  apse  is  supported  by  coupled 
columns  with  very  rough  capitals,  and  the  south  apse 
has  single  columns  in  a  similar  position.  These  columns 
are  antique,  cut  and  placed  one  on  the  other  regardless 
of  their  proportion.  A  chequer  cornice  round  the 
apse  returns  over  the  arches  of  the  side  apses,  and  is 
prolonged  above  the  wall  arcading.  A  round-headed 
door  communicates  with  the  north  apse  ;  the  south 
is  used  as  sacristy,  and  is  walled  off.  Through  the 
vault  of  the  main  apse  three  small  windows  are  pierced 
above  the  three  which  appear  beneath  the  arches  of 
the  wall  arcade. 

Behind  the  high-altar  is  a  light,  two-storied  erection 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  with  trefoiled  arches  richly 
ornamented,  but  in  a  bad  state  of  preservation,  which 
shelters  a  stone  sarcophagus,  the  shrine  of  S.  Just. 
The  window  behind  was  altered  at  the  same  period 
to  allow  of  the  shrine  being  seen  from  outside.  Antique 
carved  fragments  with  arms,  inscriptions,  acanthus-leaf 
carvings,  portions  of  votive  altars,  etc.,  are  built  into 
the  piers,  and  fine  bits  of  friezes  are  immured  in  many 
places,  some  being  upside  down.  Many  fragments 
once  in  the  church  have  been  taken  away  to  the 
museum  at  Toulouse,  and  others  are  in  private  collec- 
tions.    The  most  interesting  historically  is  the  inscrip- 


132  ST.    BERTRAND   DE   COMMINGES 

tion  which  proves  that  there  was  a  church  at  Valca- 
brere  in  347,  and  gives  the  name  of  one  of  its  priests. 
It  is  now  fixed  in  the  west  wall,  and  runs  : 

VAL  .  SEVERA  .  EGIT  .  ANNOS  .  XXX  .  RECESSIT  .  Ill  .  NON  .  IVL  . 
RVFINO  .  ET  .  EVSEBIO  .  CONSS — PAC  .  PATROCLVS  .  PRAESBVTER  .  SIBI  . 
IN  .  PACE  .  XpI. 

All  the  letters  are  the  same  size  except  the  "  X." 

The  door  illustrated  is  on  the  north  side  of  the 
church,  and  appears  to  be  of  the  twelfth  century. 
The  four  figures  in  the  jambs  are  said  to  represent 
S.  Bertrand ;  a  lady  of  the  country  from  whom  he 
cast  out  a  devil ;  a  priest ;  and  an  assistant  deacon. 
The  story  is  also  referred  to  on  one  of  the  carved  caps, 
and  on  one  of  the  stalls  in  the  choir  of  S.  Bertrand  ; 
the  other  caps  show  the  martyrdoms  of  S.  Stephen 
and  of  SS.  Justus  and  Pastor,  the  patron  saints.  There 
are  traces  of  colour  still  visible — blue,  ochre,  and  a 
good  deal  of  red.  The  figures  stand  upon  monsters 
or  monsters'  heads  ;  they  are  about  6  feet  high.  The 
archivolt  has  three  orders,  with  roll  mouldings  on  the 
angles  of  the  two  inner  arches,  and  a  kind  of  bevelled 
dentil  decorating  the  outermost.  Round  the  tym- 
panum is  a  band  of  chequering.  In  the  centre  is  an 
enthroned  Christ  in  a  vesica.  At  the  sides  are  figures 
of  the  evangelists  bearing  the  heads  of  their  symbols, 
the  inner  two  supporting  the  vesica.  Above  them,  at 
each  side,  is  a  small  censing  angel.  The  ironwork  of  the 
door  has  the  scrolls  so  frequently  met  with  in  Roussillon. 


^  ,W^  ^' 


rk. 


'^1   I  ii 


\T 


'iJ^il'-rf'W 


NORTH  DOOR  OF  S.  JUST.  VALCABRERE. 


134  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

It  appears  to  be  original.  The  sliding  bolt  is  moved 
by  a  ring  of  copper  with  guilloched  balls.  The  east 
end  is  most  curious  in  its  external  arrangement,  the 
apses  being  square  externally,  with  arches  thrown 
across  the  angles  to  allow  of  the  whole  being  sheltered 
by  one  roof  slope.  One  of  these  remains,  and  the 
springing  of  the  other.  There  is  a  heavy  square  tower 
in  front  of  the  apse,  apparently  of  late  thirteenth  or 
early  fourteenth  century  construction,  and  remains 
of  two  cornices  (one  but  3  feet  from  the  ground)  round 
portions  of  the  church.  There  was  a  medieval  cloister 
to  the  south,  of  which  several  corbels  remain.  The 
eastern  portion  is  considered  to  be  CaroHngian  by  M. 
Anthyme  de  S.  Paul,  the  apses  resembhng  those  at 
Germigny-des-Pres,  and  the  vaulting  of  the  nave  is 
ascribed  to  S.  Bertrand.  The  walls  are  at  least  a 
yard  thick. 

The  destruction  of  the  ancient  city  took  place  in 
585,  and  after  the  sack  the  episcopal  seat  was  estab- 
hshed  at  Valcabrere.  Gondovald,  who  claimed  to  be 
a  son  of  Clotaire,  took  refuge  in  the  citadel  (now  the 
modern  town)  from  the  army  of  Gontran,  son  of 
Clotaire.  It  resisted  direct  attack,  but  the  assailants 
gained  their  end  by  treachery.  Gondovald  was  per- 
suaded to  go  outside  the  north  gate  with  two  of  his 
supporters,  Ollon,  Count  of  Bourges,  and  Gontran 
Boson,  with  an  escort  of  Gontran's  men.  They  pushed 
him  over  the  edge  of  the  chff,  and  stoned  him  when  he 
tried  to  chmb  up  again.     The  spot  is  still  known  as 


THE   CONSPIRACY   OF   GONDOVALD       135 

the  "  Rochea  de  Gondebaud."     When  Clotaire's  sons 
divided  the  kingdom,  Gondovald  was  excluded  from 
participation   and   exiled   to   Cologne.     He   seems   to 
have  possessed  artistic  talent,  for  it  is  recorded  that 
he  painted  frescoes  there  on  the  walls  of  palaces  and 
churches.     Then  he  went  to  Italy  and  sought  fortune 
with  Narses,  the  General  of  Justinian,  and  on  to  Con- 
stantinople, where  he  was  well  received  at  the  Imperial 
Court.     The  ambassadors  of  the  discontented  lords  of 
Aquitaine  found  him  there,  and  persuaded  him  to  put 
himself  at  their  head.     He  was  proclaimed  King  of 
Aquitaine  at  Brives-la-Gaillarde  in  584.     As  a  matter 
of  strategy,  he  spread  a  report  that  Gontran  was  near, 
and  that  the  troops  of  the  Convenae  ought  to  go  out 
to  meet  him.     When  they  went  down  to  the  plain, 
with  their  Bishop,  Rufinus,  at  their  head,  he  ordered 
his  soldiers  to  shut  the  gates  and  lay  hands  on  every- 
thing the  city  contained,  whereby  he  acquired  con- 
siderable store  of  corn  and  wine.     After  his  death  his 
sons  took  refuge  in  Spain.     Duke  Leudegesille,  com- 
mander  of    Gontran' s   army,    gave   the   town   to   his 
soldiers  to  sack,  and  the  destruction  was  so  complete 
that  Gregory  of  Tours  uses  the  expression,  "  Nihil  ibi 
prseter  humum  vacuum  relinquentes." 

A  donjon  and  a  jamb  of  the  main  door  remain  of 
the  ancient  manor  built  by  Sanche  de  Labarthe  about 
1080,  the  Castel  Bert.  They  were  lords  of  the  "  four 
valleys,"  and  were  a  prolific  race.  In  1550  one  of  them 
presented  to  Henri  II.  twenty-four  sons  born  of  the 


136  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

same  mother,  who  was  still  living  !  The  Templars 
also  had  a  house  here,  and  a  leper's  hospital,  to  which 
a  legend  is  attached.  It  is  said  that  once  in  seven 
years,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  taking  of  Jerusalem 
by  Saladin,  following  on  the  battle  of  Tiberias  and  the 
massacre  of  the  Templars  ordered  by  the  conqueror, 
the  commandant  of  Valcabrere  appeared  on  the 
platform  of  his  castle  (now  a  shapeless  ruin)  and  called 
to  his  knights  seven  times.  A  voice  answered  him  : 
"  The  order  is  dead ;  the  Holy  Tomb  no  longer  has 
champions."  He  then  cried  out  seven  times  in  grief, 
and  re-entered  his  tomb. 

In  the  village  square  is  a  marble  colonnette,  with  an 
iron  cross  on  the  summit  and  two  capitals  as  base, 
one  thirteenth  and  one  fourteenth  century.  They  came 
from  the  Convent  of  the  CordeHers,  according  to 
M.  d'Agos,  in  which  the  tomb  of  Jean  de  Mauleon,  to 
whom  the  choir  at  St.  Bertrand  is  due,  was  situated. 
A  little  farther  on  is  another  iron  cross,  on  a  fourteenth- 
century  colonnette,  based  on  two  ancient  municipal 
corn  measures,  probably  of  the  sixteenth  century  ; 
one  holds  19I.  60  cent.,  the  other  just  half  as  much. 
Passing  them,  and  following  a  winding  country  road, 
one  approaches  the  hill  on  which  the  houses  cluster 
round  the  great  church  with  its  fortified  tower,  built 
by  S.  Bertrand  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eleventh 
century. 

By  way  of  a  little  medieval  bridge  and  an  archway 
beneath  a  tower,  which  was  once  the  gate  of  the  lower 


THROUGH    THE   PORTE   CABIROL  137 

city,  one  reaches  a  zigzag  path  between  houses,  which 
mounts  the  hill  to  the  Porte  Cabirol,  opposite  to  which 
is  a  Httle  lookout  in  the  wall,  from  which  a  most 
extensive  view  lies  spread  out  before  one.  Above  the 
seventeenth-century  gateway  is  a  portion  of  an  inscrip- 
tion in  honour  of  the  Emperor  Claudius,  and  a  relief. 
Within,  the  street  has  several  interesting  late  medieval 
houses  on  either  side,  and  before  reaching  the  httle 
place  in  front  of  the  church  (which  was  the  ancient 
cemetery)  one  passes  beneath  a  flying  buttress  which 
supports  an  early  wall  pierced  with  three  late  Roman- 
esque windows,  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  palace 
of  S.  Bertrand.  By  the  other  gate,  the  Porte  Majou, 
is  immured  a  curious  rehef  to  a  Roman  jobmaster, 
upon  which  is  carved  a  car,  as  emblem  of  his  calhng, 
as  well  as  the  inscription.  It  shows  that  country  cars 
with  four  wheels  with  spokes  were  in  use  in  the  Nar- 
bonnaise  in  the  Gallo-Roman  epoch  much  as  used  in 
the  present  day.  On  the  monument  at  Igel,  near 
Treves,  a  car  is  shown  closely  resembling  this,  so  that 
the  use  of  the  form  was  widely  spread. 

It  was  outside  this  gate  that  the  death  of  Gondovald 
took  place,  and  near  here  is  the  oldest  portion  of  the 
wall  with  which  the  upper  town  was  surrounded  at 
the  invasion  of  the  barbarians.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
gorge  flows  the  little  Ourse. 

S.  Bertrand  was  born  of  an  ancient  family  at  He 
Jourdain.  His  father  was  Aton  Raymond,  lord  of 
the  Isle,  and  his  mother,  Gervaise  Taillefer,  daughter 


138  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

of  William  III.,  Count  of  Toulouse.  Constance,  his 
maternal  aunt,  having  married  Robert  the  Pious, 
son  of  Hugues  Capet,  he  was  cousin-german  to  the 
King  Henry  I.  He  was  educated  by  the  Benedic- 
tines of  Escale-Dieu,  it  is  thought.  At  first  he  was 
distinguished  as  a  soldier,  but  abandoned  that  pro- 
fession to  take  up  the  study  of  theology,  feeling  a 
vocation  for  the  religious  life.  He  professed  at 
Toulouse,  and  at  twenty  -  five  years  of  age  was 
Canon  of  S.  Etienne  and  archdeacon.  The  Bollandists 
say  that  he  was  Bishop  of  Comminges  from  1083- 
II 23.  Another  account  states  that  he  was  named 
Bishop  by  the  Pope  in  1076.  A  charter  proves 
that  in  11 24  someone  else  held  the  dignity.  Vitalius, 
protonotary  of  Alexander  HL,  tells  us  that  "  the  good 
pastor  had  neither  sleep  nor  rest  till  he  had  rebuilt 
the  destroyed  city."  He  built  a  cloister,  summoned 
Augustinian  Canons,  and  began  to  construct  houses. 
The  town  took  the  name  of  St.  Bertrand  soon  after  his 
death  and  even  before  his  canonization  (which  took 
place  in  1179).  In  1150  a  Bishop  left  a  certain  sum 
to  the  "  Canons  of  S.  Bertrand." 

The  diocese  became  one  of  the  most  important  in 
the  South,  and  its  Bishops  belonged  to  influential  and 
noble  families.  Two  belonged  to  the  line  of  the 
Kings  of  Navarre,  one  became  Pope,  and  several  were 
Cardinals.  Clement  V.  (Bertrand  de  Goth),  who  visited 
the  town  on  January  15,  1309,  willed  that  a  jubilee 
should  take  place  in  honour  of  S.  Bertrand  every  year 


THE   FACADE   OF   THE   CATHEDRAL       139 

that  the  Feast  of  the  Invention  of  the  Holy  Cross  came 
on  a  Friday,  and  by  a  Bull  dated  from  Bonnefort  in 
130O3  struck  with  ecclesiastical  censures  any  who 
exacted  tolls  from  people  going  to  the  feasts  of  S. 
Bertrand  and  the  fairs  which  followed  them. 

The  cathedral  was  rebuilt  in  the  fourteenth  century 
by  Bertrand  de  Goth  and  Hugues  de  Castillione,  and 
additions  and  alterations  made  at  later  periods ;  but 
a  good  deal  of  S.  Bertrand's  work  still  remains — the 
fagade,  the  great  tower,  and  the  lower  part  of  the 
walls  of  the  western  bays  of  the  nave.  The  lofty 
tower  has  been  restored,  and  terminates  with  a  pyra- 
midal roof  and  projecting  hotirds  (defensive  works 
of  wood)  ;  it  is  flanked  by  ramping  walls  to  half  its 
height  of  over  100  feet.  In  the  centre  is  a  round- 
headed  door,  to  which  fourteen  steps  ascend,  for 
the  most  part  antique  marble  slabs.  It  has  two 
deep  arches  almost  forming  a  porch,  each  supported 
on  two  columns  on  each  side,  the  caps  and  bases 
being  on  the  same  level  as  the  central  column, 
which  supports  a  lintel  on  which  is  carved  a  series  of 
little  arches  with  figures  of  the  Apostles  beneath 
them.  On  the  tympanum  is  carved  the  Adoration  of 
the  Magi,  with  angels  censing  above.  Behind  the 
Virgin  another  slab  bears  the  figure  of  a  mitred  Bishop 
with  crozier,  giving  the  benediction.  Inscriptions  in 
letters  of  the  twelfth  century  run  : 

ETLEO  FAR  ET  MIRON  ASPRON  ....  FILIUM  DEI. — MARIA  MATER. 


140  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

Baron  d'Agos  held  that  "  far,  miron,  and  aspron  "  were 
the  names  of  the  offerings  made  by  the  Magi  ;  "  aspron  " 
is  the  name  of  a  silver  coin  current  in  Byzantium  in 
the  sixth  century,  a  word  meaning  "  white  "  ;  "  f ar  " 
is  probably  flour  or  sacred  cake  ;  "  etleo,"  he  suggested, 
is  an  inversion  of  "  teleo,"  a  Greek  verb,  one  of  the 
meanings  of  which  is  "  to  offer,  to  pay  a  tax."     The 
rehefs  are  framed  by  a  chequered  roll,  as  at  Valcabrere, 
and  the  angle  of  the  arch  has  a  similar  roll  wdth  a 
narrow  band  of  chequers.     The  caps  resemble  those 
at  Serrabona,  which  will  be  described  in  a  later  chapter, 
having    intertwined    animals,    strange    foHage,    and 
figures.     On  one  of  them  a  modification  of  the  usual 
representation  of  Avarice  may  be  seen,  a  man  bearing 
a  bag  pushed  by  demons  into  a  monster's  j aws.     Above 
the  door  is  a  large  semicircular  niche,  now  sheltering 
a  fine   antique   head,    thought   to   represent   Jupiter, 
and  there  are  inscriptions  of  various  dates  encrusted 
in  the  walls. 

The  great  piers  of  the  tower  rest  on  circular  bases 
12  feet  across,  ornamented  with  big  balls,  a  decoration 
which  also  occurs  at  Valcabrere  and  at  St.  Nazaire, 
Carcassonne.  The  aisles  of  the  inner  porch  formed 
by  the  tower  have  half-waggon  vaults  with  one  sup- 
porting arch  and  an  arcading  of  two  round  arches  on 
the  wall.  This  porch  opens  to  the  church  with  a 
slightly  pointed  central  arch  and  two  lancet  arches. 
Just  within  the  door  to  the  right  is  an  altar  which 
served  as  parish  church  from  1621  to  1790. 


PLAN   OF   THE   CHURCH  141 

The  plan  shows  the  aisleless  nave,  about  175  feet 
long  by  50  feet  broad,  surrounded  by  eleven  chapels 
and  with  the  Canons'  choir  in  the  centre.  The  lower 
parts  of  the  first  and  second  bays  have  Romanesque 
arcading,   the   door    to    the   cloister  is   of   the   same 


PLAN    OF    CHURCH,    ST.    BERTRAND    DE    COMMINGES. 


period,  and  there  are  traces  of  built-up  windows.  The 
rest  of  the  construction  is  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
The  larger  chapels  towards  the  west  are  the  Chapels 
of  Our  Lady  and  of  S.  Margaret,  the  latter  approached 
by  a  flight  of  steps,  and  with  the  chapter-house  (or 


142  ST.   BERTRAND   DE   COMMINGES 

library)  farther  westwards,  extending  above  the 
northern  walk  of  the  cloister.  Here  the  archives  are 
now  kept.  Beneath  one  of  the  arches  of  the  opposite 
chapel  is  the  tomb  of  Hugues  de  Castillione  (f  1352), 
whose  arms  on  the  vaulting  show  that  he  was  the 
builder,  though  the  elaborate  lierne  ribs  look  later. 
The  body  of  the  tomb  has  reliefs  of  mourners  in  white 
on  a  black  marble  ground,  Gothic  in  feeling  ;  the  figure 
of  the  Bishop,  with  its  delicately-wrought  vestments, 
is  probably  as  late  as  the  sixteenth  century.  One 
window  in  the  apse  is  entire,  showing  the  Nativity, 
with  the  Shepherds  ;  in  others  an  Annunciation  and  an 
Adoration  of  the  Magi  are  still  recognizable,  and  many 
coats  of  arms.  The  glass  is  of  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries,  and  is  good.  The  arms  of 
Clement  V.,  who  commenced  the  rebuilding,  and  of 
Jean  de  Mauleon,  to  whom  the  choir  is  due,  and  who 
restored  all  the  chapels,  appear  on  the  vaults,  though 
the  style  of  the  vaulting  is  fourteenth-century.  The 
shrine  of  S.  Bertrand  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  apse, 
separated  from  the  high-altar  by  a  narrow  passage. 
It  was  erected  in  1422  by  the  Cardinal  Pierre  de  Foix, 
Bishop  of  Comminges,  whose  arms  appear  on  the 
angle  pilasters.  The  sides  are  covered  with  paintings 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  depicting  incidents  in  the 
saint's  life.  It  has  a  gable  roof  with  pinnacles  above 
the  pilasters.  A  large,  flat-arched  niche  surmounted 
by  a  pointed  arch  contains  the  shrine  of  silver  and 
ebony  ;  two  gable  niches  with  gratings  are  at  the  sides, 


THE  CANONS'   CHOIR  143 

and  a  richly  carved  panel  and  three  niches  above. 
The  statues  of  the  Apostles  which  once  decorated  it 
were  destroyed  in  the  wars  of  religion.  It  still  bears 
traces  of  colour  and  gilding. 

The  altar  of  S.  Bertrand  is  on  the  eastern  side,  the 
passage  round  the  choir  being  about  13  feet  wide  and 
as  much  high. 

The  choir  occupies  two-thirds  of  the  nave.  An 
inscription  inlaid  on  the  screen  states  that  Jean  de 
Mauleon  celebrated  divine  service  in  it  for  the  first 
time  on  Christmas  Eve,  1535,  and  that  it  was  made  at 
his  expense.  It  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of 
the  four  finest  in  France,  the  others  being  in  the  Cathe- 
drals of  Amiens  and  Auch,  and  in  the  church  at  Brou. 
The  fa9ade  is  supported  by  four  Corinthian  columns, 
and  has  a  row  of  twenty  figures  in  semi-relief  above, 
saints  of  both  sexes,  and  God  the  Father.  Beneath 
the  colonnade  are  six  other  figures  on  a  larger  scale — 
S.  John  the  Baptist,  the  Virgin  and  Child,  and  S. 
Genevieve,  to  the  right  of  the  door  ;  SS.  Sebastian, 
Bertrand,  and  Roch  to  the  left.  Above  the  door  on 
the  inner  side  a  kind  of  pulpit  projects,  formerly  used 
as  an  ambo  ;  to  the  right  below  is  a  watching  chamber, 
and  to  the  left  the  staircase.  There  are  sixty-six  stalls 
in  the  upper  row,  which  have  arched  canopies  upon 
Corinthian  columns,  and  figures  carved  on  the  backs — 
of  evangelists,  prophets,  saints,  sybils,  theological 
virtues,  etc.,  a  miracle  of  S.  Bertrand,  and  S.  Michael 
triumphing    over    Satan.     The   lower   stalls   are    also 


CHOIR    OF  CHURCH,'  ST.    BERTRAND    DE   COMMINGES. 


MAGNIFICENT  CARVINGS  145 

elaborately  carved,  and  have  figures  standing  above 
the  divisions  at  the  entrances  to  the  upper  row.  The 
Bishop's  seat,  which  has  an  elaborate  pyramidal 
canopy,  crowned  by  a  figure  of  S.  Michael,  is  separated 
from  the  stalls  by  a  pierced  and  carved  division  with  a 
representation  of  the  martyrdom  of  S.  Peter.  It  has 
an  inlaid  back  with  figures  of  S.  John  Baptist  and 
S.  Bertrand,  as  have  the  canopied  seats  for  the  officiants, 
with  the  addition  of  S.  John  the  Evangelist.  Between 
the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  stalls,  with  the  figures 
of  SS.  John  the  Evangelist  and  Bertrand,  is  the 
entrance.  Here  is  the  Jesse  tree,  a  wonderful  carving 
containing  forty  figures  less  than  four  inches  high. 
The  twenty-eight  stalls  of  the  lower  row  were  for  the 
prebends.  On  the  outside  slender  colonnettes  mark 
the  same  divisions  as  the  stalls  within.  The  panels 
have  lozenges  or  other  shapes  in  relief,  with  a  base  of 
square  divisions,  and  above  arched  panels  with  reliefs 
of  men's  and  women's  heads  alternately.  The  design 
terminates  with  a  frieze,  pediments  surmounted  by 
scroll-work  and  divided  by  candelabrum-like  pinnacles, 
vases,  chimeras  facing  each  other,  sirens,  arabesques, 
and  fantastic  birds.  On  each  side  are  sixteen  heads, 
the  only  personages  recognizable  being  Judith  with 
the  head  of  Holofernes  and  Lucretia  stabbing  herself. 
The  date  of  1526  appears  on  the  southern  frieze. 
Round  the  sanctuary  is  an  open  railing  of  the  same 
style  ;  in  the  frieze  carving  is  replaced  by  inlay.  The 
story  told   to  travellers  is  that  the  choir  took   one 

19 


146  ST.    BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

hundred  and  fifty  years  to  execute,  and  the  Bishop 
ran  short  of  money.  Asking  Francois  I.  for  a  sub- 
vention, he  obtained  it  on  the  condition  that  portraits 
of  members  of  his  Court  should  be  introduced  in 
lunettes  on  the  outside.  This  is  evidently  fable,  as 
the  style  is  consistently  Fran9ois  I.  throughout,  though 
perhaps  with  a  flavour  of  Spanish  richness.  The 
retable  has  subjects  from  the  lives  of  Christ  and  of  the 
Virgin  set  in  shell-headed  niches  divided  by  little 
columns  ;  a  second  range  of  niches  has  open-work 
domes  with  pinnacles  between  and  statues  within,  all 
in  the  same  style.  The  central  niche  has  a  figure  of 
God  the  Father  ;  at  His  feet  is  a  sort  of  crocket  in  the 
form  of  a  crozier,  from  which  the  pyx  was  suspended. 
The  colouring  has  been  restored  and  rather  overdone. 
The  altar,  in  the  form  of  a  tomb,  is  of  red  marble  of 
Serrancolin. 

The  organ  was  once  one  of  the  finest  in  France. 
The  case  is  a  marvellous  piece  of  workmanship,  with 
four  fagades,  eleven  turrets,  sixteen  platforms,  niches, 
colonnettes,  friezes,  etc.  All  the  reUefs  are  of  Pagan 
subjects,  such  as  the  labours  of  Hercules.  It  is  nearly 
50  feet  high  and  33  feet  broad,  resting  on  five  chan- 
nelled Corinthian  columns,  a  pulpit,  bearing  on  its 
panels  the  symbols  of  the  evangeHsts  and  the  device 
and  monogram  of  Jean  de  Mauleon,  being  connected 
with  the  staircase.  When  this  was  used,  the  Canons 
used  to  ascend  to  the  loft  over  the  entrance  to  the 
choir  to  hear  the  sermon.     The  ancient  stops  are  still 


I'fl.lTI     AM)   ORCAX    C-ASK,   ST.    i;KRri<\NI)    l>K   (  0\l  M 1 XCK 


To  face  payc  146. 


A   DISCOMFITED  "  GARDIEN  "  147 

used,  and  when  we  arrived  the  organist  was  just 
finishing  a  fine  flourish  after  Mass,  and  the  congrega- 
tion was  dispersing,  though  the  minor  ecclesiastic  who 
distributed  the  pain  beni  was  still  going  round  with  his 
basket.  After  this  everyone  went  to  dejeuner,  and 
when  we  returned  to  the  church  we  were  fortunate 
enough  to  encounter  a  Canon,  who  very  civilly  showed 
us  everything,  and  allowed  us  to  photograph  what 
we  wished  on  seeing  the  permission  from  the  Minister 
of  Fine  Arts.  Thus  we  had  time  for  a  quiet  study  of 
all  the  interesting  things,  made  a  small  offering,  and 
escaped  the  greed  of  the  regular  gardien,  who  could  not 
understand  how  we  had  managed  to  evade  him  and 
his  charges  (for  we  then  found  out  that  there  is  a 
regular  charge  for  seeing  the  treasury  and  for  making 
photographs).  The  hurried  queries  which  he  put  to 
us  and  to  two  officials  who  had  been  in  the  church  all 
the  time  amused  us,  and  his  crestfallen  appearance 
when  he  found  that  the  matter  was  concluded,  and  that 
there  were  no  "  tips  "  to  be  collected. 

Very  little  remains  of  the  treasury,  which  was  one 
of  the  richest  in  the  South  of  France.  It  is  kept  in  a 
little  turret  on  the  walls,  approached  from  the  first 
of  the  five  apsidal  chapels,  and  contains  two  fine 
copes,  one  of  which  was  given  by  Clement  V.  to  the 
chapel  of  the  saint,  and  is  therefore  supposed  by  the 
uninstructed  to  be  S.  Bertrand's.  It  is  of  red  silk, 
with  embroideries  in  gold  thread  of  the  Virgin,  angels, 
apostles,    and    saints.     This    cope    was    assigned    to 


148  ST.   BERTRAND   DE  COMMINGES 

English  craftsmen  by  De  Linas,  an  opinion  shared  by 
other  experts.  The  other  has  silken  embroideries  of 
Scripture  subjects,  and  figures  of  saints  in  medalhons 
amid  scrolls  on  a  ground  of  cloth  of  gold — fine  work 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  which  also  appears  to  be 
English.  There  are  also  two  mitres,  one  of  which 
may  possibly  have  been  S.  Bertrand's,  since  it  bears 
considerable  resemblance  in  shape  and  mode  of 
decoration  to  that  of  S.  Thomas  a  Becket  preserved  at 
Sens.  A  pair  of  episcopal  shoes  also  appears  to  be  of 
this  period,  though  restored,  worked  with  a  small 
cross-stitch.  There  is  a  long  staff  of  ivory,  pierced 
from  end  to  end,  known  as  the  "  alicorne  of  S.  Ber- 
trand,"  and  said  to  have  been  the  staff  of  his  crozier — 
it  used  to  be  borne  in  procession  before  the  shrine  ; 
also  a  crook  of  Limoges  work,  and  an  interesting 
coffret  of  the  fourteenth  century  covered  with  cuir 
bouilli,  in  which  objects  belonging  to  S.  Bertrand 
were  kept.  On  its  sides,  upon  a  ground  of  arabesques, 
are  tref oiled  arches  with  fantastic  subjects  several 
times  repeated — a  knight  with  lance  and  shield  fighting 
a  dragon,  a  great  bird,  and  a  woman  standing  before 
it.  On  the  front  is  the  inscription  in  Gothic  letters 
twice  repeated  : 

^£r  I'amor  be  J^abonn  mc  rombat  ab  aqucsta  libra, 
(I  fight  in  this  livery  for  love  of  my  lady.) 

A  pair  of  episcopal  gloves  appear  to  be  of  the  same 
period,  and  two  early  Renaissance  tapestries,  the  gift 


THE  CLOISTER  149 

of  Jean  de  Mauleon,  decorate  the  walls.  Near  the 
porch,  on  the  south  side,  hangs  S.  Bertrand's  legendary 
crocodile,  of  which  there  is  no  mention  till  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

The  twelfth-century  cloister  is  of  an  irregular  shape, 
with  an  unequal  number  of  round  arches  on  the  sides — 
five  to  the  east,  eight  to  the  west,  and  twelve  to  the 
south — supported  on  coupled  colonnettes  except  in 
two  places.  In  one  of  these  a  group  of  the  Evangelists 
holding  their  symbols  takes  their  place  ;  in  the  other 
two  bits  of  antique  columns  of  different  sizes.  The 
cap  above  this  column  appears  to  be  older  than  the 
others  ;  the  rest  are  twelfth-century,  with  Romanesque 
foliage,  etc.  Two  of  them  bear  figure  subjects.  The 
Fall,  The  Expulsion,  Labour,  and  The  Death  of  Abel, 
and  above  the  figures  of  the  Evangelists  are  the  signs 
of  the  zodiac  and  labours  of  the  field.  On  the  eastern 
side  the  forms  of  the  caps  and  bases  suggest  the 
thirteenth  century  as  their  period.  The  side  against 
the  church  has  been  rebuilt  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
It  shelters  five  tombs  of  Canons,  that  of  Sanche,  first 
Lord  of  Labarthe  (f  1086),  and  one  with  the  arms  of 
Hugues  of  Castillione,  being  vaulted  in  unequal  bays. 
The  convent  library,  sold  to  defray  the  cost  of  the  re- 
establishment  of  the  services  after  the  Revolution, 
was  housed  in  the  upper  story.  There  is  an  extensive 
view  from  the  open  arcading  above  the  outer  wall, 
below  which  the  road  winds  upward  to  the  Porte 
Majou,  and  great  grey  buttresses  all  round  the  apse 


MONTREJEAU  151 

give  the  impression  of  massive  strength  and  vigorous 
age. 

The  train  to  Montrejeau  did  not  start  from  Labro- 
quere  at  a  convenient  time,  so  we  determined  to  walk 
the  few  miles,  the  greater  part  of  the  way  being  down- 
hill. In  these  mountain  valleys  the  invigorating  fresh- 
ness of  the  air  makes  exercise  a  delight,  which  in  low- 
l5dng  country  might  be  wearisome  ;  and  the  constantly 
changing  grouping  of  hill,  wood,  and  village,  or  isolated 
building,  as  the  road  winds  and  descends,  with  the 
charm  of  colour  due  to  atmospheric  conditions,  con- 
stantly excites  interest  and  deHghts  the  eye,  shortening 
the  road  marvellously. 

Montrejeau  is  a  contraction  of  "  Mons  regalis,"  a 
hastide  founded  for  Philippe  le  Hardi  by  his  seneschal. 
He  divided  the  cost  with  Roger  d'Espagne,  the  Lord 
of  Montespan,  to  whose  seigneurie  the  new  city 
belonged,  and  who  made  it  his  capital.  On  the  road 
from  St.  Girons  to  St.  Gaudens  the  ruins  of  the  lord's 
castle  may  still  be  seen.  The  only  interesting  thing 
in  the  high-lying  town  is  the  Place  du  Marche,  of 
which  the  arcades  still  exist  on  two  sides,  and  the 
market-house  in  the  centre,  a  two-story  wooden 
building  hung  with  slates,  the  upper  story  being 
approached  solely  by  a  wooden  stair,  hke  a  ladder, 
though  it  is  the  mairie.  The  picturesqueness  of  the 
whole  is  much  enhanced  by  the  crowd  of  weather- 
cocks, with  animals  of  all  kinds  upon  them,  which 
crown  the  building,  numbering  a  dozen  or  so. 


152  ST.   GAUDENS 

St.  Gaudens. 

St.  Gaudens  lies  on  a  hill  above  the  railway,  crowned 
by  the  church,  which  is  of  yellow  stone,  and  makes  a 
good  termination  to  the  mass.  It  is  a  fine,  lofty 
Romanesque  structure,  with  a  modern  western  tower, 
an  ancient  collegial  of  the  twelfth  century,  with  some 
portions  of  the  eleventh  in  the  choir,  in  which  there 
are  curious  strategic  arrangements  in  connection  with 
the  fortification.  The  nave  has  three  bays  of  lofty 
arches,  and  no  clerestory  ;  the  choir  two  bays  of  lower 
arches,  with  coupled  arches  above  like  a  triforium, 
the  easterly  one  being  shorter.  The  vault  is  round- 
arched  waggon,  with  supporting  arches  from  the  inner 
members  of  the  piers,  on  the  bases  of  which  ball  claws 
occur.  At  the  eastern  end  are  three  apses,  the  central 
one  larger.  Above  the  wall  arcade  of  seven  arches  a 
chequer  string  of  four  rows  runs  round.  The  north 
apse  has  been  modernized  ;  that  to  the  south  has  a 
string  of  two  rows  on  a  larger  scale.  The  nave  aisles 
have  cross  arches  beneath  walls  which  support  the 
quarter-circle  vault,  the  aisles  to  the  choir  have  quadri- 
partite vaults  without  ribs.  The  same  structure  is  to 
be  seen  through  the  choir  triforium  arches.  These 
have  squat  side  pillars  engaged,  and  in  the  centre  a 
group  of  four  colonnettes.  The  choir  steps  at  present 
are  on  the  level  of  the  eastward  pier,  throwing  one 
bay  of  the  choir  into  the  nave.  The  well-preserved 
carved  caps  bear  monsters  and  foliage  scrolls  resem- 


AN  IMPOSING  CHURCH  153 

bling  those  at  Moissac,  as  one  would  expect  so  near 
Toulouse.  There  are  no  windows  in  the  side  apses, 
but  three  in  the  central  one,  and  above  the  triumphal 
arch  a  two-light  opening  to  a  gallery  lighted  with 
three  windows  ;  all  the  arches  are  round,  and  have  no 
mouldings.     The  organ  is  at  the  west  end  in  the  tower 


.J 


^^M^^^-^-  -J 


CHURCH    OF   ST.     GAUDENS. 


above  an  arch  of  two  orders,  on  twin-engaged  columns 
on  each  side.  The  vault  under  the  tower  is  ribbed  with 
a  central  oculus  ;  on  each  of  three  sides  are  two  arches, 
with  imposts  and  pilaster  strips  beneath  which  are 
oculi.  The  little  Romanesque  door  to  the  west  has 
ironwork  of  the  period.  Some  of  the  aisle  bays  have 
cross    arches    in    the    external   wall.     The  fifteenth- 


20 


154  ST.    GAUDENS 

century  doorway  on  the  north  is  well  carved  in  the 
manner  of  the  period,  with  canopies  for  niches  with 
pierced  work.  The  windows  of  the  aisles  have  hood- 
moulds  and  imposts  of  chequers.  The  pilaster  strips 
of  the  central  apse  continue  upwards  as  columns, 
the  windows  have  mouldings,  hood-moulds  and  a  lower 
string-course  all  of  chequers,  but  all  this  part  has 
been  restored.  The  east  end  is  imposing,  with  a  little 
erection  above  the  arches  of  construction,  and  the 
lower  string  of  the  central  apse  continues  round  the 
smaller  apses  as  part  of  the  cornice,  below  which  is  a 
little  window,  not  showing  inside.  The  conspicuous 
tower,  with  its  pyramidal  roof  and  three  stages  above 
the  nave,  is  modern  except  for  the  ground  story.  In 
the  church  are  a  few  late  tapestries. 

The  town  was  called  Mas  St.  Pierre  till  the  thirteenth 
century,  and  is  believed  to  have  owed  its  origin  to  a 
church  built  to  S.  Peter  by  S.  Saturnin,  first  Bishop 
of  Toulouse.  S.  Gaudens  was  a  child  of  thirteen,  who 
died  for  the  faith  in  475  during  the  persecution  by 
Euric,  King  of  the  Visigoths.  Later  a  Bishop  of 
Comminges  established  a  college  of  Canons  near  the 
saint's  tomb.  The  town  prospered  from  the  twelfth 
century,  and  was  the  capital  of  the  Nebouzan.  The 
Bishops  of  Comminges  lived  there  in  preference  to 
St.  Bernard,  and  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries  had  their  seminary  there.  During  this  time 
the  cloth  industry  was  very  flourishing.  It  was  known 
as  Hauteville  during  the  Revolution. 


MIXED   COMPANY  I55 

The   Cistercian   ''Blessed"    Raymond    (1090-1163), 

who  went  to  fight  the  Moors  in  Spain,  and  was  one  of 

the  principal  founders  of  the  religious  and  mihtary 

Order  of  Calatrava,  was  born  here. 

In  the  train  going  to  Toulouse  were  a  comfortable 
couple,  with  a  nice  little  cat  in  a  basket  Hke  a  cage, 
which  they  were  careful  to  keep  out  of  the  sun  ;  an 
old  woman,  with  a  fowl  tied  up  in  a  cloth  beneath  the 
seat,  and  a  big  basket ;  and  a  very  proper  old  lady, 
who  spent  the  time  reading  her  paper,  and  in  England 
would  most  certainly  have  objected  to  the  hen  under 
the  seat,  if  not  to  the  old  woman,  who  was  evidently 
a  third-class  passenger.  In  France,  however,  they 
appear  to  be  more  democratic,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  third-class  passengers  know  how  to 
behave  themselves  better  than  ours  appear  to  do. 

St.  Girons  and  St.  Lizier. 

St.  Girons  is  a  busy  industrial  town  of  some  6,000 
inhabitants,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Salat, 
the  Lez,  and  the  Baup,  and  having  a  considerable 
trade  with  Spain  in  wool,  pigs,  mules,  and  a  special 
breed  of  cows.  The  market  is  held  fortnightly,  and 
all  the  open  spaces  are  then  filled  with  booths,  cattle, 
and  caravans,  while  the  narrow  winding  streets  are 
also  fined  with  booths,  leaving  httle  room  for  wheeled 
traffic.  In  one  square  mountains  of  crockery  of  all 
qualities  and  colours  are  exposed  for  sale  ;  in  another, 


156  ST.   GIRONS   AND   ST.   LIZIER 

cheap  toys,  drapery,  and  tinware  (advertised  by  the 
strains  of  a  gramophone) ;  cakes,  fruit,  and  vegetables ; 
religious  pictures,  postcards  (many  of  them  the  reverse 
of  religious),  sabots,  harness,  etc.,  occupy  other  stalls, 
or  are  arranged  in  heaps  upon  the  stones.  In  shady 
corners  peripatetic  knife-grinders  ply  their  trade,  and 
in  an  open  space  an  itinerant  quack  doctor  in  a 
gorgeous  Turkish  uniform  may  perhaps  be  seen  and 
heard  proclaiming  the  virtues  of  his  preparations  with 
great  volubility  from  an  ornate  car,  while  on  its  top 
noisy  instruments  are  thwacked  and  blown  what  time 
he  rests  his  voice  and  encourages  bashful  rustics  to 
buy  bottles  and  powders  wrapped  in  pretty  pink 
papers.  At  such  times  the  streets  and  squares  are 
filled  with  sellers  and  purchasers,  while  through  the 
crowds  yokes  of  beautiful  dark-eyed  oxen  stalk  with 
stately  head,  under  perfect  control,  and  exciting  very 
little  attention  ;  for  at  the  far  side  of  the  town  by  the 
ancient  Church  of  S.  Vallier  is  the  great  market  for 
beasts,  where  hundreds  of  fine  oxen  may  be  seen 
accompanied  by  men  in  dark  blue  or  black  blouses, 
wearing  the  heret,  and  carrying  the  usual  long  staff. 
The  confusion  of  colour,  sound,  and  movement  is 
bewildering,  the  effect  being  increased  by  the  un- 
familiar costumes,  the  quaintest  among  which  is  that 
of  the  Bethmalese  girls,  who  may  sometimes  be  seen  at 
St.  Girons,  bright  colours  and  quaint  forms  combining 
in  it  to  give  an  impression  of  medieval  times  ;  and 
gipsies  from  the  other  side  of  the  frontier  contrast  well 


THE   GOATHERD'S   PIPE  157 

with  them  in  squahd  dress  and  dark  complexion, 
leading  Pyrenean  bears  and  monkeys  of  different  sizes, 
and  reaching  out  their  tambourines  for  gratuities. 
At  night  the  reflections  of  the  lights  in  the  factories  on 
the  river-banks  flash  and  sparkle  from  the  liquid 
darkness  of  the  water,  and  where  weirs  occur  the  grey 
luminosity  of  the  foam  glimmers  amid  the  pallid 
reflections  from  the  wan  sky  overhead.  The  constant 
rushing  of  the  streams  fills  the  air  with  a  pleasant 
murmur,  and  the  parapets  of  bridge  or  tree-planted 
space  are  lined  with  lounging  townsfolk  gazing  at  the 
ever  interesting  flow  of  cool  green  water  which  rushes 
and  tumbles,  bright  in  the  sunlight,  or  pale  and  ghostly 
beneath  the  twilight  sky.  Morning  and  evening  the 
goatherd's  pipe  is  heard  as  he  leads  his  flock  through 
the  streets,  halting  here  and  there  and  milking  them  at 
the  doors  of  his  customers. 

The  town  consists  of  two  parts — St.  Girons  on  the 
right  bank,  and  a  suburb  called  Villefranche  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  Salat.  Its  name  was  originally 
Bourg-sous-Vic,  and  it  sprang  from  the  decay  of  St. 
Lizier,  a  couple  of  miles  down  the  river,  and  took  the 
name  of  a  local  martyr,  S.  Gerontius,  a  Vandal  soldier 
martyred  on  the  banks  of  the  Adour  in  the  fifth  century. 
According  to  tradition,  he  was  put  to  death  by  the 
Visigoths  ;  his  relics  are  divided  among  several  places 
in  Gascony.  Villefranche  was  intended  to  supplant 
St.  Girons,  and  special  privileges  were  therefore  granted 
it  ;  but  St.  Girons  continued  to  prosper,  and  the  Counts 


158  ST.   GIRONS   AND   ST.   LIZIER 

of  Comminges,  to  whom  it  belonged,  did  homage  for  it 
to  the  Bishops  of  Couserans  in  1170,  1466,  1481,  1521, 
and  1530,  as  documents  prove.  During  the  Revolution 
the  two  places  were  united,  and  sometimes  called 
Girons  and  sometimes  Lunoque. 

The  town  contains  but  few  buildings  of  archaeological 
interest,  and  among  these  the  church  dedicated  to 
S.  VaUier,  first  Bishop  of  the  Couserans,  may  take 
first  place  by  reason  of  the  Romanesque  door  on  the 
north  side.  It  has  three  orders,  and  on  the  angles  are 
roll  mouldings.  In  each  jamb  there  are  two  colon- 
nettes,  with  caps  and  abaci  bearing  scrolls,  chequers, 
and  chip-carving  patterns.  Two  of  the  caps  have 
basket-work  patterns,  one  has  interlacings  and  knots, 
and  the  fourth  much  damaged  carvings  of  monsters. 
The  bases  seem  to  have  had  a  figure  holding  a  pro- 
jecting torus  moulding.  The  jambs  have  a  high 
chamfered  base,  with  an  impost  moulding  at  the  height 
of  the  caps.  A  pattern  carved  on  the  hood-mould 
closely  resembles  the  border  enrichment  on  a  Byzantine 
Civil  Casket  in  the  Museo  Civico,  Bologna,  suggesting 
the  influence  of  imported  ivories  in  spreading  motifs 
of  decoration.  This  doorway  is  of  the  twelfth  century, 
as  is  the  lower  part  of  the  north  wall.  The  church 
consists  of  a  single  nave,  with  chapels  opening  from  it 
and  a  polygonal  apse  ;  behind  the  altar  is  a  stone  tomb 
half  hid  in  the  wall,  with  engaged  colonnettes  flanking 
the  angles.  The  building  was  much  altered  in  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  and  to  this  period 


THE  CHURCH   OF  S.   VALLIER  159 

the  apse  and  the  upper  part  of  the  bell-tower  belong. 
The  latter  is  a  continuation  of  the  north  wall  upwards, 
with  buttress  strips  at  the  angles,  terminating  with 
battlements,  below  which  are  three  small,  round-arched 
openings  for  bells.  Lower  still  are  two  larger  similar 
openings,  and  then  a  string-course.  On  the  level  of  the 
eaves  is  a  row  of  corbels  supporting  nothing,  heads  and 
mouldings.  At  the  bottom  of  the  church  is  a  holy 
water  basin  of  the  same  period  ;  an  isolated  prismatic 
colonnette  terminated  by  a  kind  of  cap,  in  which  the 
basin  is  hollowed  ;  one  of  the  two  examples  of  such 
carving  in  the  Ariege. 

The  other  church,  S.  Gerontius,  was  reconstructed 
a  few  years  ago,  but  has  preserved  its  octagonal  brick 
spire  of  late  fourteenth  or  early  fifteenth  century  work, 
the  lower  rectangular  part  of  which  forms  a  porch  in 
front  of  the  west  door.  Below  the  spire  is  an  octagonal 
stage  set  back  to  leave  a  chemin  de  ronde  for  defensive 
purposes,  the  balustrade  of  which  was  never  con- 
structed. The  interior  is  spacious,  but  gloomy.  There 
are  some  remains  of  a  fourteenth-century  church  of 
the  Dominicans,  belonging  to  a  convent  which  was  of 
political  importance  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  a  few 
old  houses.  In  the  market-hall  is  a  row  of  six  or  more 
grain  measures  like  those  under  the  cross  at  Valcabrere. 
The  hollow  is  closed  by  a  perpendicular  door  which 
lifts,  and  the  grain  shoots  out  into  the  receptacle 
below. 

We  walked  to  St.  Lizier  along  a  shady  road  which 


i6o  ST.   GIRONS   AND   ST.   LIZIER 

runs  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  gradually  rising  to  some 
distance  above  the  river — meeting  parties  of  peasants 
going  into  market,  driving  a  few  sheep  or  other  animals  ; 
or  with  carts  in  which  grain  or  other  country  produce 


ON    THE    ROAD    TO    ST.    LIZIER. 


was  carried,  drawn  by  the  beautiful  pale  grey  oxen 
which  we  had  so  often  admired  in  Italy ;  or  with  laden 
donkeys,  passing  from  shade  to  sunlight,  telling 
brightly  against  the  shady  background,  or  in  dark 
silhouette  against  the  light,  with  a  distracting  pictur- 


THE   APPROACH   TO   ST.   LIZIER  i6i 

esqueness.  I  remember  especially  a  couple  of  pale- 
coloured  oxen  being  watered  in  a  rivulet  below  the 
road,  and  the  efforts  of  the  driver  to  get  them  out 
when  he  thought  the}^  had  had  enough  ;  the  man  in 
blue  blouse,  the  stones,  the  oxen,  the  bushes  on  the 
banks,  and  the  broken  reflections  in  the  water,  made  a 
fascinating  picture  which  changed  to  fresh  combina- 
tions all  too  rapidly.  As  St.  Lizier  is  approached,  the 
fortifications  of  the  upper  town  present  a  brave  appear- 
ance, while  from  the  bed  of  the  stream  below  the 
houses  appear  to  be  strewn  in  picturesque  confusion 
from  the  bridge,  close  to  which  is  a  fortified  tower  of 
the  twelfth  century,  up  the  slope  of  the  hill  to  the 
culminating  feature,  the  Gallo-Roman  battlements, 
though  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  rebuilding  about 
them.  There  are  considerable  remains  of  the  Roman 
wall  in  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  and  also  medieval 
portions  on  the  sides  of  the  street  which  climbs  the 
hill  to  the  ancient  belfry  above  the  one  gateway  to  the 
upper  town,  originally  of  the  twelfth  century. 

The  summit  of  the  hill  is  surrounded  by  an  elliptical 
Roman  rampart,  with  twelve  towers,  of  which  the  six 
northern  are  square  and  the  six  southern  circular. 
The  length  of  the  enclosure  is  about  830  feet,  and  its 
breadth  about  485  feet.  The  wall  appears  to  have 
been  built  at  the  period  of  the  great  invasions,  including 
more  ancient  fragments,  and  notwithstanding  medieval 
restorations  and  modern  suppressions  and  reconstruc- 
tions, is  still  one  of  the  best-preserved  Gallo-Roman 

21 


i62  ST.    GIRONS   AND   ST.   LIZIER 

enceintes  in  France .     It  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
most  interesting  archaeological  sites  in  the  Pyrenees, 
and  presents  striking  analogies  with  St.  Bertrand  de 
Comminges.     More    fortunate    than  St.   Bertrand    in 
situations  and  history,  it  is  not  altogether  a  dead  town. 
It  was  called  originally  Lugdunum  Consoranorum,  thus 
recalling  the  name  of  St.  Bertrand,  Lugdunum  Conve- 
narum,  both  towns  probably  founded  when  Pompey 
was  forcing  the  Spanish  mountaineers  to  come  together 
(thus    "  Convenae ")    to   establish    themselves    in    the 
upper  basin  of  the  Garonne,  while  either  he  or  one  of 
his  Generals  pressed  other  tribes  to  unite  their  destinies 
(thus   "  Consorani  "),  making  a  nation  in  the  upper 
basin  of  the  Salat.     Our  information  about  the  Con- 
venae  comes  from  S.  Jerome,  who  is  silent  as  to  the 
Consorani,    of    whom    we    only    certainly   know   that 
under  the   Emperors   they  were   among  the  nine   or 
twelve  peoples  of  Novempopulonia.     Pliny  says  (lib.  4, 
c.  xix.)  that  the  Consorani  had  been  placed  entirely 
in  Aquitaine  since  the  arrival  of  Caesar,  but  elsewhere 
(lib.  3,  c.  iv.)  appears  to  say  that  they  were  divided 
between  Aquitaine  and  the  Narbonnaise.     After  the 
reform  of  Augustus  in  the  organization  of  the  three 
provinces,  or  "  Gauls  "  (27  B.C.),  they  were  certainly 
in   Novempopulonia   and    Aquitaine.     St.    Lizier   was 
their  capital,  and  under  Theodosius  was  the  fifth  town 
of    the   district,   known    apparently   as    Civitas   Con- 
soranorum.    Their  principal  deities  were  Janus,  Juno, 
Venus,  and  Minerva  (under  the  name  of  Belisama).     A 


RELICS   OF   ANTIQUITY  163 

hill  now  outside  the  city  is  mentioned  in  Latin  Acts 
as  Mons  Jovis.  An  inscription  of  the  second  or  third 
centuries,  immured  in  the  left  side  of  the  second  pier 
of  the  bridge,  which  appears  to  have  been  part  of  a 
votive  altar,  mentions  Minerva  Belisama,  a  Gaulish 
goddess,  who  is  only  known  elsewhere  by  an  inscription 
at  Vaison.  A  statue  of  Janus  was  found  in  1770  in 
an  altar  of  masonry  in  the  choir  or  one  of  the  apses, 
and  on  the  exterior  of  each  of  the  two  former  cathedrals 
fragments  of  architectural  carving  are  encrusted  among 
the  worked  stone,  much  of  which  also  formed  part  of 
antique  buildings.  During  the  Middle  Ages  there  was 
an  upper  and  a  lower  town  ;  several  documents  call  the 
upper  town  "  Austria."  The  Viscounts  of  Couserans 
were  unfriendly  because  they  could  not  establish  their 
official  residence  at  St.  Lizier,  since  it  belonged  to  the 
Bishops  ;  but  they  were  less  hostile  than  the  Counts  of 
Comminges,  who  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries 
claimed  the  whole  county  of  Couserans,  and  the  ruin 
of  the  town  is  due  to  Bernard  III.,  who  sacked  it  in 
1 130,  and  obliged  the  Bishop  to  come  to  terms,  a  blow 
from  which  it  never  really  recovered.  It  suffered  a 
good  deal,  too,  during  the  religious  wars,  though 
Navarre,  Bishop  of  Couserans  in  1207,  ^^^  appointed 
by  the  Pope  to  deal  with  the  Albigensian  Crusade  in 
conjunction  with  the  legate  Pierre  de  Castelnau,  and 
Armand,  Abbot  of  Citeaux,  and  served  on  Simon  de 
Montfort's  Council.  The  Protestants  did  much  damage 
at  a  later  date,  till  they  were  driven  out  of  the  diocese 


i64  ST.    GIRONS   AND   ST.    LIZIER 

by  Bishop  Hector  d'Ossun  in  1570.  From  the  eleventh 
century  it  was  under  the  Counts  of  Toulouse  ;  in  1271 
it  came  under  the  Crown  of  France,  and  the  Bishop 
recovered  all  rights  compatible  with  the  central  judicial 
authority.  The  Bishop  Lords  of  St.  Lizier  were  known 
as  Bishops  of  Couserans,  a  diocese  which  at  one  time 
included  almost  all  the  country  between  the  Garonne, 
Foix,  and  the  Pyrenees,  becoming  at  a  later  date  one 
of  the  smallest  of  the  Languedocian  dioceses.  The 
town  has  borne  its  present  name  since  the  twelfth 
century,  but  the  saint  belongs  as  much  to  legend  as 
to  history.  He  is  said  to  have  been  Bishop  of  Couserans 
for  forty-four  years,  and  tradition  attributes  to  him  the 
miraculous  delivery  of  the  town — according  to  some 
from  Recces vinthus  the  Visigothic  King,  according  to 
others  from  the  Saracens  in  732  ;  while  others  still  say 
that  the  town  was  burnt  and  destroyed  by  the  latter, 
but  rebuilt  by  S.  Lizier  under  the  protection  of  Charles 
Martel.  During  the  Revolution  the  town  was  known 
as  Austrie-la-Montagne.  It  then  lost  its  bishopric, 
and  now  has  but  1,000  inhabitants. 

The  cathedral  in  the  upper  town  (for  there  were  two) 
is  called  Notre  Dame  de  la  Sede.  Close  to  it  is  the 
former  episcopal  palace,  built  in  1665  by  Bernard  de 
Marmiesse,  who  removed  the  Bishop's  seat  from  the 
lower  cathedral  in  1657.  It  rests  upon  three  of  the  six 
round  towers  of  the  Gallo-Roman  enceinte,  and  is  now 
the  residence  of  the  director  of  the  madhouse,  which, 
with  its  dependencies,  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the 


THE  CATHEDRAL  IN  THE  UPPER  TOWN  165 
area  enclosed  within  the  walls.  The  sixteenth-century 
cathedral  is  just  beyond.  It  consists  of  a  nave  of 
three  bays,  with  three  chapels  to  the  south  (one  used 
as  a  sacristy),  a  choir,  and  a  semicircular  apse.  The 
vaults  of  the  nave  have  pointed  arches  and  ribs  starting 
from  applied  columns,  four  in  the  angles  and  four  on 
the  side  walls.  The  caps  are  cylindrical,  with  figures 
of  men  and  animals  in  flat  relief,  the  subjects  including 
the  symbols  of  the  evangelists,  and  a  shield  with  an 
eagle  four  times  repeated,  which  also  occurs  on  one  of 
the  bosses,  and  fixes  the  date,  bearing  the  arms  of 
Jean  d'Aula,  Bishop  1480-1515,  called  "  the  good 
Bishop."  In  1498  Louis  XII.  gave  him  an  eagle  for 
arms  in  place  of  those  he  bore  previously,  the  cognizance 
of  the  House  of  Incamps,  to  which  he  belonged.  The 
apse  appears  to  be  Romanesque  ;  in  the  choir  are  stalls 
and  other  car\'ed  woodwork  of  the  periods  of  Louis  XIV. 
and  X\\  The  church  is  entered  by  a  door  to  the 
north  in  the  first  bay  towards  the  west  ;  a  pointed  arch 
with  torus  mouldings  in  brick.  The  caps  have  a  double 
row  of  fourteenth-century  foliage,  through  which  oval 
human  heads  peer.  On  the  abaci  are  scrolls,  rather 
Romanesque  in  character,  and  the  bases  and  caps  of 
the  columns  in  the  chapter-house  are  of  the  same 
kind  of  design,  and  may  have  belonged  to  an  earlier 
building  like  the  choir.  In  the  north  wall  near 
the  choir  some  fragments  of  antique  carving  are  en- 
crusted. At  the  other  side  of  the  enceinte  a  donjon 
of  the  twelfth  century  has  been  erected  on    a  rect- 


i66  ST.   GIRONS  AND   ST.    LIZIER 

angular  Roman  substructure.      It  is   entered   on  the 
first  floor. 

The  lower  church  is  a  building  of  the  twelfth  century, 
with  a  deflected  axis,  the  nave  having  been  raised  and 
vaulted  in  the  fourteenth.     It  has  no  aisles,  and  the 


PLAN    OF    LOWER    CHURCH,    ST.    LIZIER. 


brick  vaulting  of  the  three  bays  rests  upon  large  piers. 
The  applied  columns  have  bases  and  caps  with  rough 
human  figures  and  elongated  animals  in  fiat  relief.  In 
the  lower  part  of  the  south  wall  are  traces  of  narrow, 
round-headed  windows  bricked  up  ;  above  are  two- 
light  pointed  windows  in  which  are  some  remains  of 


THE   LOWER   CATHEDRAL  167 

fifteenth-century  glass.  The  transepts  are  waggon- 
vaulted,  and  approached  through  a  round  arch  resting 
on  two  columns  applied  against  unequal  piers,  and  in 
the  wall  above  the  maladjustment  of  the  fourteenth- 
century  vaults  to  the  earlier  work  may  be  observed. 
The  crossing  has  a  quadripartite  vault.  The  three 
apses  are  very  unequal  in  size  and  in  the  thickness  of 
the  walls,  which  has  given  rise  to  the  theory  that  the 
two  side  apses  are  the  towers  of  a  gate,  which  were 
utilized  at  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  church,  the  street  being  diverted  for 
that  purpose.  Their  walls  are  9  feet  thick,  and  the 
ancient  loopholes  can  be  recognized  ;  they  are  vaulted 
semidomically.  At  the  angles  of  the  entrance  to  the 
north  apse  are  two  columns,  with  caps  of  scrolls,  etc., 
resembling  those  of  the  window  of  the  central  apse  ; 
within  are  much  damaged  paintings  on  the  vault — the 
Virgin  suckling  the  Child  Jesus,  attended  by  two 
Angels  bearing  torches.  This  is  all  that  remains  of 
the  decoration  due  to  Bishop  Auger  de  Montfaucon 
(f  1304).  He  also  put  stalls  in  the  choir,  but  they 
were  replaced  by  Renaissance  work.  The  high-altar 
and  its  surroundings  bears  the  date  1770.  The  central 
apse  is  polygonal  externally  in  the  lower  part,  with 
three  windows,  and  pilaster  strips  in  the  centre  of  the 
blank  sides.  The  north  window  is  narrow,  the  south 
has  been  enlarged,  and  the  east  window,  which  is 
round-headed,  has  a  horizontal  moulding  interposed 
between  the  arch  and  the  caps  of  the  channelled  colon- 


i68  ST.    GIRONS   AND   ST.    LIZIER 

nettes  in  the  angles  ;  they  bear  scrohs  in  shght  relief. 
The  base  is  constructed  of  antique  worked  stone, 
finishing  with  a  bevel  4  feet  6  inches  from  the  ground. 
Above  are  smaller  stones  interspersed  with  bits  of 
carving  like  those  in  the  upper  cathedral,  fluted  frag- 
ments, etc.  There  is  a  crowning  double  cornice  of  a 
later  date,  semicircular  in  plan  ;  a  square  moulding 
divides  two  ranges  of  brackets  from  each  other.  Upon 
the  lower  series  are  carved  heads  and  bodies  of  men  and 
animals,  grotesques,  balls  and  chequers  ;  the  upper 
series  consists  of  square  moulded  corbels.  Upon  the 
moulding  between,  to  the  left,  are  two  short-legged, 
pot-bellied  figures  foot  to  foot,  with  a  man's  head 
between  them. 

Round  the  interior  of  the  apse  and  choir  of  one  bay 
runs  an  arcade  on  colonnettes,  a  good  deal  broken  and 
restored  with  plaster.  The  columns  of  the  arch  cut  it 
irregularly,  and  appear  to  be  later  insertions. 

The  church  was  consecrated  in  11 17  by  Bishop 
Jourdain.  The  central  tower  may  have  been  com- 
menced after  the  devastation  of  1130,  as  there  is  a 
round-headed  arch  remaining  among  the  Tolosan, 
angular-headed  openings  in  the  lower  stage  of  the 
octagonal  brick  tower  over  the  crossing.  The  entrance 
is  by  a  door  to  the  north  in  the  second  bay  of  the  nave. 
It  is  pointed,  with  numerous  brick  mouldings  which 
fall  on  engaged  marble  colonnettes  ;  the  bases  and  caps 
are  of  stone,  the  latter  having  two  rows  of  fourteenth- 
century  foliage.     The  leaves  of  the  door  are  also  on 


THE  LOWER  CHURCH  169 

the  whole  of  that  period.  In  a  wall  at  right  angles  is  a 
walled-up  door,  the  entrance  to  a  building  now  de- 
stroyed.   Its  style  is  of  the  same  period,  but  it  bears 


^<%:r^ 


u...  1 


EASTERN    END,    LOWER   CHURCH,    ST.    LIZIER, 


the  date  1565  (!),  showing  how  persistent  tradition  was 
in  the  South  of  France.  M.  A.  de  Dion  thinks  that 
the  gate  was  transformed  into  the  cathedral  in  the 


22 


170  ST.    GIRONS  AND   ST.   LIZIER 

eleventh  century,  the  central  portion  restored  in  the 
twelfth,  and  the  vaults  of  the  nave  and  the  central 
octagonal  tower  built  in  the  fourteenth  :  a  plausible 
opinion    enough,    which    meets    the    case,    except    as 


TWELFTH-CENTURY    CAP,    CLOISTER,    ST.    LIZIER. 

regards  the  basihca  erected  over  the  tomb  of  S.  Vallier 
in  550,  which  has  been  entirely  lost  if  the  present  church 
is  not  its  representative. 

In  the  last  bay  of   the  nave  a  simple  pointed  brick 
door  leads  to  the  beautiful  cloister,  paved  with  rough 


ANGLE   OF   THE   CLOISTER,    ST.    LIZIER. 


172  ST.    GIRONS   AND   ST.    LIZIER 

mosaic,  and  surrounded  by  an  arcade  resting  alter- 
nately on  single  and  coupled  colonnettes,  interrupted 
here  and  there  by  piers.  On  the  north  and  south  sides 
there  are  ten  arches,  divided  by  piers  into  groups  of 
six  and  four  ;  the  west  side  is  a  little  longer  than  the 
east,  and  has  in  the  centre  of  its  six  arches  a  group 


ELEVENTH-CENTURY    CAP,    CLOISTER,    ST.    LIZIER. 

of  four  colonnettes,  above  which  a  quatrefoil  is  pierced 
in  the  wall.  The  east  side  has  six  arches  without  the 
central  pier.  The  arches  are  all  round,  but  while  the 
east  side  is  entirely  unmoulded,  and  the  north  has  a 
simple  chamfer,  those  on  the  other  side  have  a  roll  on 
the  angle,  with  quarter-round  sinkings  on  each  side. 
A  moulding  runs  round  all  the  piers  at  the  height  of  the 


L_> 


174  ST.   GIRONS  AND   ST.   LIZIER 

abaci,  which  are  ornamented;  most  of  the  bases  have 
spurs,  and  many  of  them  deep  hollow  mouldings. 
The  caps  are  elaborately  carved,  with  great  variety  ; 
the  variations  in  the  style  of  the  profiles  of  the  arches 
and  of  the  bases  suggest  repairs  or  a  partial  rebuilding 
in  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century.  The  capital  of 
the  group  of  four  pillars  illustrated  is  plainly  work  of 
the  eleventh  century.  The  other  two  are  twelfth, 
one  being  of  a  more  developed  type  of  design  than 
the  other.  In  the  front  of  the  drawing  showing 
several  arches  is  a  cap  of  another  type,  of  which  there 
are  several  examples,  and  farther  along  the  row  are 
two  types  of  interlacings,  both  of  which  are  repeated. 
There  are  also  a  few  caps  of  a  later  date,  and  of  a  type 
based  upon  acanthus  foliage  treated  very  clumsily. 
The  colonnettes  (of  which  only  a  few  are  missing)  are 
of  varicoloured  marbles,  sometimes  so  much  weathered 
as  to  look  like  the  fibres  of  wood.  On  three  sides  a 
string-course  runs  round  the  interior  of  the  walls  ;  above 
the  arches,  but  some  distance  below  the  rafters, 
different  on  each  side ;  and  on  one  side  a  string  divides 
the  upper  story,  of  the  sixteenth  century,  but  restored, 
from  the  lower  on  the  side  of  the  garth.  Its  sloping 
roof  rests  on  brick  piers.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the 
north  walk  is  a  Gothic  twin  arcade,  from  beneath 
which  the  tomb  has  gone.  Near  to  it,  beneath  a 
modern  arch,  is  the  tombstone  of  Bishop  Auger  II.  of 
Montfaucon  (I  1303),  who  did  so  much  to  beautify 
his  cathedral,  a  fully  vested,  recumbent  figure.    Swifts 


OBJECTS   IN   THE   TREASURY  175 

were  flying  up  and  down  in  the  sunlight,  screaming  after 
their  usual  fashion,  and  oleanders,  roses,  and  other 
plants  added  to  the  charm  of  the  cloister,  into  which 
the  sacristan  locked  us  that  we  might  study  it,  return- 
ing to  his  practice  on  a  harmonium,  the  fruit  of  which 
we  soon  heard  in  the  accompaniment  to  a  sung  Mass ; 
and  we  spent  a  very  happy  hour  or  more  before  we 
were  released. 

There  are  said  to  be  in  the  treasure  a  silver 
cross,  with  an  antique  gem  set  in  it,  a  great  chest 
covered  with  painted  cloth,  and  decorated  with  curious 
medallions,  a  white  silk  mitre  of  the  twelfth  or  thir- 
teenth century,  embroidered  with  crescents  and  a 
scroll,  several  pieces  of  early  tissues,  a  silver  bust  of 
S.  Lizier,  and  a  crozier  said  to  have  been  his  by  popular 
tradition.  Inquiry  as  to  its  situation  elicited  from 
the  sacristan's  wife  the  response  that  it  was  kept  in 
the  priest's  house,  but  that  he  probably  would  refuse 
to  let  us  see  it.  A  ring  at  the  door  of  the  presbytery 
was  answered  by  the  priest  himself,  who  looked  out  of 
the  first-floor  window.  We  went  upstairs  (to  the 
kitchen),  and  I  proffered  my  request,  to  which  he  said 
"  No."  I  then  produced  from  the  Minister  of  Fine  Arts 
my  permission  to  photograph  and  study  historical 
monuments,  at  the  same  time  saying  that  I  did  not  wish 
to  photograph  the  reliquary  bust,  and  after  careful 
inspection  he  invited  us  up  to  the  attics,  where  we  were 
shown  the  bust  and  the  crozier,  but  nothing  further. 
The   reliquary   bust   of   S.    Lizier   is   marred   by   the 


176  ST.    GIRONS   AND   ST.    LIZIER 

painting  of  the  flesh,  but  is  well  modelled,  and  has 
excellent  ornament  of  the  period  (sixteenth  century), 
both  on  the  vestments  and  on  the  mitre.  The  material 
is  silver  parcel-gilt.  The  early  crozier  is  of  the  eleventh 
century.  It  is  of  wood,  with  three  silver  rings  round 
it,  of  which  the  central  one  is  movable  ;  upon  it  is  the 
beautiful  motto  of  the  Bishops :  ►P  CVM  iratvs  fveris 
MiSERicoRDiA  RECORDABERis.  The  omamcuts  on  the 
rings  above  and  below  are  gilded  filigree  scrolls.  The 
volute  is  of  bone,  and  at  the  end  is  an  animal's  head 
holding  a  cross  in  its  mouth.  It  has  been  broken,  and 
repaired  with  silver  plates  on  the  face  of  the  volute  and 
at  the  back.  Round  its  base,  above  the  knop,  is  an 
octagonal  silver  strip,  toothed  on  the  upper  edge,  with 
an  inscription  in  letters  of  a  later  period  :  honor 
BONUS,  or  ONUS.  The  cure  seemed  to  think  that  the 
crozier  was  of  very  little  importance,  but  we  found  it 
quite  as  interesting  as  the  more  developed  art  of  the  bust. 
The  bridge  has  been  ascribed  to  both  the  twelfth 
and  the  fifteenth  centuries,  but  it  has  been  several 
times  restored,  finally  in  modern  times  by  corbelling 
out  the  footpaths.  On  the  middle  keystone  downstream 
are  several  shields,  with  coats  of  arms,  among  which 
are  those  of  Bishop  Gabriel  de  S.  Estevan,  indicating  a 
restoration  by  that  prelate  in  1690,  about  which  time 
the  semicircular  arches  were  probably  rebuilt,  the 
central  one  being  a  little  flattened.  It  was  originally 
fortified,  the  gate,  with  its  portcullis,  standing  on  the 
third  pier.     All  the  piers  have  beaks  both  up  and  down 


^  fvf 


*—■**"  ^^ 


-S'Tfrnii  iii»»i^yw«Mn|p^ 


A    SI-ANISII    r.IPSY,   ST.    I.IZIEK. 


To  face  page  176. 


SPANISH   GIPSIES  177 

stream,  and  four  of  the  original  five  arches  are  still 
open.  The  river  is  cut  up  with  many  weirs  and  with 
rocky  prominences.  Of  the  medieval  houses,  only  one 
of  the  fifteenth  or  sixteenth  century  survives,  a  wooden- 
framed  building  close  to  the  lower  cathedral.  Many 
with  httle  character,  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  may  be  seen,  and  a  few  doors  of  the  period 
of  Louis  XII I.  Here  and  there  in  the  narrow  and  steep 
streets  are  bits  of  loggias,  which  remind  one  of  Italy. 

We  came  back  to  St.  Girons  on  the  other  side  of 
the  stream  ;  the  road  runs  very  near  to  it,  and  the  view 
was  very  attractive,  with  snowy  mountains  closing 
the  vista,  and  the  foreground  of  rushing  water  tumbling 
over  the  rocky  ledges.  Moreover,  we  came  across  a 
party  of  gipsies  from  the  other  side  of  the  frontier, 
accompanied  by  bears  and  monkeys.  The  women 
were  fine  creatures,  though  sadly  in  need  of  washing  ! 
This  did  not  affect  their  value  as  picturesque  foreground 
incidents,  however,  especially  in  the  case  of  the  mother 
of  the  party,  and  of  the  eldest  daughter. 

The  Valley  of  the  Lez. 

The  three  streams,  the  Lez,  the  Baup,  and  the  Salat, 
unite  at  the  town  of  St.  Girons,  which  is  a  good  starting- 
point  for  a  trip  up  the  Lez  Valley  to  Sentein,  a  little 
town  containing  a  fortified  church  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  the  last  town  on  the  French  side  of  the  frontier. 
This  valley  is  to  be  one  of  the  three  means  of  rapid 

23 


./  -mww. 


SPANISH    GIPSY.    ST.    LIZIER. 


THE  "  PILE"    OF   LUZENAC  179 

communication  with  Spain  which  are  planned  to  be 
completed  in  a  few  years,  the  line,  after  piercing  the 
Pyrenees,  continuing  to  Lerida,  which  will  probably 
destroy  the  character  of  the  valley  before  very  long, 
though  the  work  is  rather  behind  that  in  the  Oloron 
Valley.  We  saw  men  busy  with  spade  and  pick  com- 
mencing the  grading  of  the  embankment  above  Les 
Bordes,  though  lower  down  the  valley  the  engineering 
work  was  not  so  evident.  Shortly  after  leaving 
St.  Girons  the  piers  of  the  old  bridge  may  be  seen  a 
little  above  the  railway  bridge.  The  arches  are  gone, 
and  the  road  has  been  diverted,  a  sign  of  the  changes 
which  rapid  locomotion  causes  in  the  appearance  of  the 
country.  The  first  object  interesting  to  the  archaeolo- 
gist occurs  at  Luzenac,  some  four  miles  from  St.  Girons, 
a  Roman  structure  known  as  the  "  Pile  "  of  Luzenac, 
a  square  tower  with  a  semicircular  niche  in  it,  built  of 
concrete,  with  a  facing  of  small  stones,  in  its  present 
state  about  22  feet  high.  The  top  of  the  niche  has 
perished.  It  faces  east,  and  stands  in  a  field  about 
thirty  paces  to  the  left  of  the  road.  Excavations  in  front 
of  it  have  discovered  a  bit  of  Roman  roadway  about 
13  feet  across,  some  16  inches  below  the  soil,  and  it  is 
believed  that  it  had  some  connection  with  the  worship 
of  the  guardian  deities  of  the  roads.  There  is  a  portion 
of  another  between  St.  Lizier  and  St.  Girons,  and  a 
tolerable  number  exist  in  the  South  of  France,  but  they 
seem  to  have  been  peculiar  to  Gaul,  for  no  such  erec- 
tions have  been  found  in  Italy  in  a  similar  situation. 


i8o  THE  VALLEY   OF  THE  LEZ 

The  church  at  Luzenac  is  a  Romanesque  building, 
enlarged  in  the  fifteenth  century  by  the  addition  of 
two    aisles,    and    much    spoilt    by    late    Renaissance 
ornamentation.     It  has  a  nave  of  four  bays,  vaulted 
with  a  very  slightly  pointed  barrel  vault,  with  piers 
and  supporting  arches  at  intervals,  unmoulded,  but 
with  simple  imposts.     Eastwards  it  terminates  with 
an  apse,  with  semi-domical  vault,  and  upon  the  short 
bay  in  front  of  it  is  a  twelve-sided  bell-tower,  with  four 
two-light  openings,  with  coupled  colonnettes  in  the 
direction  of  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  and  one  on  a 
lower  level  on  the  north-east  side.     The  roof  is  conical, 
with  a  single  bell  crowning  it,  which  is  struck  by  a 
hammer  ;  within  the  belfry  is  a  bell  of  1687.     It  has 
been  suggested  that  the   "  Pile  "   terminated  with  a 
conical  top,  and  that  this  top  to  the  tower  was  imitated 
from  it,  as  there  are  no  such  crowning  features  in  the 
neighbourhood.     The   position    of   the   tower   is   also 
unusual  in  the  district.     The  aisles  have  quadripartite 
vaulting,  with  ribs  and  strong  pointed  arches  at  the 
piers,  and  there  is  a  singing  gallery  at  the  west  end. 
The  windows  are  most  of  them  round-headed,  except 
in  the  south  aisle,  where  they  are  pointed.     The  doors 
north  and  south  have  moulded  jambs  of  variegated 
marble  in  two  orders.     Along  the  south  wall  outside  a 
long  seat  is  fixed  beneath  a  penthouse  roof.     These 
alterations  show  an  enlargement  of  the  church  in  the 
late  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  century.     The  west  door 
appears  to  belong   to   the   earher  building,   but   has 


NOTRE  DAME   DE  TRAMESAGUES  i8i 

moulded  jambs  similar  to  the  other  doors.  It  has 
three  orders  and  colonnettes  in  the  angles  of  the  two 
outer,  with  caps  carv^'ed  with  heads  and  interlacings. 
It  is  now  framed  in  a  curious  Renaissance  setting,  with 
niche  and  oculus  above,  and  two  semi-octagonal  piers 
projecting  at  the  end  of  the  walls  of  the  nave  arcade. 
At  Audressein,  at  the  entrance  of  Bellongue  (Vallis- 
longa),  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  is  a  church  known  as 
Notre  Dame  de  Tramesagues,  from  an  ancient  and 
celebrated  pilgrimage  to  a  Madonna  in  the  church. 
This  is  really  a  Pieta,  the  Madonna  with  the  dead 
Christ  on  her  knees,  a  painted  wooden  statue.  The 
church  is  preceded  by  a  court,  entered  by  a  pointed 
door,  above  which  the  wall  is  continued  gable-wise, 
pierced  w^th  three  rows  of  arches  for  the  bells,  of  the 
fourteenth  century  (a  heavier  copy  of  the  bell-turret  at 
Castillon),  though  the  door  through  which  the  church  is 
entered  is  of  the  thirteenth.  The  porch  in  front  of  it 
is  decorated  with  paintings,  some  of  which  are  well 
preserved  and  some  much  perished.  In  the  small 
ones  (which  are  votive),  the  silhouette  of  the  group  of 
the  Virgin  so  far  resembles  that  in  the  church  as  to 
make  it  certain  that  we  have  here  the  original  figure, 
though  a  few  years  ago  it  had  fallen  so  much  into  dis- 
repute as  to  have  been  thrown  aside  as  lumber  !  The 
paintings  are  of  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century  or  a 
little  later,  and  are  really  executed  in  tempera,  though 
generally  called  "  frescoes."  Above  the  door  are  the 
remains  of  an  Annunciation,  and  upon  the  soffits  of 


i82  THE  VALLEY   OF  THE  LEZ 

each  of  the  arches  of  the  porch  are  two  large  figure 
panels  and  two  small  ones.  The  large  ones  are  figures 
of  SS.  John  Baptist  and  James,  and  four  angels  playing 
on  the  rebec,  the  harp,  the  guiterne,  and  the  pipe, 
recalling  the  Italian  quattrocentisti  ;  the  small  panels 
are  votive  pictures.  The  colours  used  are  yellow  (dark 
and  light),  grey,  white,  red,  flesh-colour,  and  green, 
the  drawing  being  done  with  lines  of  light  red  and  of 
black.  A  confraternity  of  Notre  Dame  was  instituted 
here  in  1315,  to  which  many  noble  families  belonged. 
The  name  "  Tramesagues "  means  '*  between  the 
waters,"  and  belongs  to  several  places  situated  in  the 
region  near  the  Pyrenees.  Audressein  lies  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Bouigane  and  the  Lez.  The  old 
parish  church  was  demolished  at  the  Revolution,  and 
the  pilgrimage  church  replaced  it  in  that  capacity. 
It  had  a  single  nave,  vaulted  with  a  pointed  waggon - 
vault,  with  two  supporting  arches  of  one  range  of 
voussoirs ;  a  transept,  and  a  pentagonal  apse.  The 
crossing  is  vaulted  with  ribs.  The  door  has  three  orders 
without  tympanum,  and  there  is  a  continuous  band  of 
ornament  on  the  level  of  the  caps.  The  porch  has  an 
Agnus  Dei  on  the  central  boss.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  pilgrims  were  attracted  from  as  far  as  Spain, 
and  the  church  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  two 
aisles,  which  stopped  at  the  transept.  The  porch  was 
completed  by  the  addition  of  two  side  porches,  with 
wooden  roofs,  and  two  doors  were  opened,  one  at  each 
side  of  the  central  door.     That  on  the  north  is  quite 


S.   PIERRE,   CASTILLON  183 

plain,  but  the  other  has  a  round  arch  on  two  Ionic 
colonnettes,  surmounted  by  a  shield,  on  which  is 
inscribed  "Jesus  Maria  Ard.  de  Peyron,  1564";  two 
angels  lift  a  chaHce,  with  a  little  cross  above  it,  between 
the  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary.  Of  the  two  bells,  one 
is  sixteenth-century,  and  the  other  is  dated  1733. 

Castillon,   farther   up   the   valley,   is   the   principal 
place  in  the  canton,  and  in  the  modern  church  there  a 
processional   cross   of   silver,    made   in   the   sixteenth 
century,  is  preserved.     On  the  hill  above  the  town, 
approached  by  a  steep  and  narrow  street,  is  a  more 
interesting  building,  the  Chapel  of  S.  Pierre,  formerly 
belonging   to  the  vanished   castle   of   the   Counts   of 
Comminges.     The  main  part  of  the  building  is  twelfth- 
century,  but  with  later  additions.     The  apse  is  semi- 
octagonal,  with  flat  angle  buttresses,  and  a  corbelled 
cornice    with    grotesque    figures.     It    had    one    Httle 
window  eastwards  originally,  which  has  been  filled  up, 
and  larger  ones  inserted  in  the  other  two  faces.     A 
rough  crenellated  addition  increases  the  height  con- 
siderably.    The  bell-turret  is  a  pedimented  embattled 
wall,  with  arches  pierced  in  it,  a  continuation  of  the 
triumphal  arch  of  the  choir.     Towards  the  west  is  a 
curious  penthouse  projection  from  this  wall,  a  feature 
often  occurring  in  this  part  of  the  country,  as  in  the 
Cantal.     The  principal  door  is  beneath  a  broad  pent- 
house roof  to  the  south,  though  there  is  a  simpler  door 
also  at  the  west  end,  of  two  orders,  with  rolls  on  the 
angles   and   hood -mould.     The   Renaissance   window 


fail  'p;mJ-m 


CHAPEL    OF    S.    PIERRE.    CASTILLON. 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  CHAPEL  185 

above  shows  that  the  westward  bay  was  added  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  The  south  door  has  four  orders, 
with  shafts  in  the  jambs  and  roll  mouldings  on  the 
angles  between.  In  the  corners  are  colonnettes  of 
marble,  with  carved  caps,  on  one  of  which  the  Sacrifice 
of  Abraham  may  be  deciphered,  and  two  standing 
figures  on  that  opposite,  one  of  which  is  S.  Peter  vested 
as  a  Bishop,  with  key  and  crozier  ;  the  others  have 
rough  ornaments.  The  base  mouldings  are  late  twelfth 
or  early  thirteenth  century,  as  are  the  arch  moulds. 
The  arch  is  round,  and  there  is  no  tympanum,  but 
above  the  door  to  the  right  is  a  panel,  with  a  rough 
figure  of  S.  Peter,  with  key,  crozier,  and  triangular 
mitre,  blessing  and  holding  on  his  left  knee  a  closed 
book,  with  an  inscription  in  a  mixture  of  Latin  and 
Romance  much  abbreviated,  which  appears  to  give  the 
name  of  Joannes  de  la  Casa  as  master  of  the  work  in 
letters  of  the  thirteenth  century.     It  runs  : 

p(etrus)  p(r)i(n)CEPS 

REGNICE 

LORv(m)  lOA(nnes) 

DELACASA 
FOMAES(tre) 
DE  LA  OBRA 

The  figure  retains  traces  of  colour.  The  interior  has 
a  pointed  waggon-vault  ;  at  the  springing  is  a  little 
cornice,  with  palmettes  and  animals  in  a  row,  with 
grotesque  heads  on  a  slope.  The  hillside  bears  a  series 
of  stations  of  the  Cross  amid  its  fir-trees.  The  scenery 
of  the  whole  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  valley  is  fine, 

24 


i86  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE   LEZ 

and  in  some  of  the  lateral  valleys  are  rich  mines  of  lead 
and  zinc.  The  slopes  of  the  hills  descend  steeply  on 
both  sides,  with  water  running  everywhere.     The  vista 


BETHMALESE    COSTUMES. 


is  closed  by  the  Pic  Blanc,  on  which  was  a  good  deal  of 
snow,  justifying  its  name.  From  the  side  mountains 
clouds    stole   forth,    becoming   more   visible    as   they 


BETHMALESE  COSTUMES  187 

mounted  higher.     The  hills  were  a  pink-purple,  and 
many  fruit-trees  in  blossom  added  light  and  gaiety  to 
the  scene,  reheved  by  the  fresh  green  of  the  growing 
grass.     The  Valley  of  Bethmale  opens  from  opposite 
Ourjoux,  one  of  the  few  places  which  still  retains  a 
distinctive  costume,  though  the  women  only  wear  it 
on  fete  days  and  Sundays,  on  which  latter  day  people 
visit  the  place  to  see  them  come  out  of  church  after 
Mass.     A  few  may  sometimes  be  seen  at  St.  Girons  on 
market-days,  and  the  costume  attracts  the  eye  at  once 
by  its  strangeness  of  form  and  vivid  colour,  bringing 
remembrance  of   medieval   days,  when   costume   was 
beautiful,  and  fashion  did  not  decree  constant  change. 
The  church  at  Ourjoux  is  known  as  Les  Bordes,  the 
mother-parish  to  which  it  belongs  ;  at  least,  that  was 
the  name  which  our  driver  gave  to  it.     It  is  a  twelfth- 
century  building,  added  to  and  altered  at  a  later  date. 
The  Lez  is  crossed  by  a  picturesque  bridge,  which 
groups  well  with  the  church,  sloping  down  from  a  way- 
side cross  to  an  open  space,  in  which  are  a  washing 
place  and  water-troughs.     The  apse  and  one  bay  in 
front  of  it,  including  the  gabled  bell-turret  above  the 
triumphal  arch,  are  Romanesque,  with  two  tiers  of 
coupled  arches  to  accommodate  the  bells,  resting  on 
two  colonnettes  united  by  a  long  and  thick  cap,  and  a 
corbelled  cornice  beneath  the  eaves  of  the  apse,  the 
centre  arch  resting  on  two  Bishop's  heads ;  right  and 
left  later  chapels,  with  ribbed  vaults,  take  the  place  of 
transepts,  and  the  bay  to  the  west,  which  contains  the 


CHURCH    AT    OURJOUX  189 

north  door,  appears  to  have  been  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Two  strong  square  piers,  with  columns 
attached,  separate  this  last  bay  from  the  one  before. 
The  columns  carry  the  arch,  which  supports  the  bell- 
wall  ;  the  hollows  of  their  bases  have  ball  ornaments, 
and  there  are  claws  to  the  angles.  The  caps  show  two 
rows  of  upright  palmettes,  one  of  them  with  balls  at 
the  ends.  Ourjoux  is  one  of  the  names  of  places  so 
numerous  in  the  Couserans, 
which  appear  to  have  an 
Iberian  origin. 

Above,  on  the  hillside,  some 
twenty  minutes  away,  is  the 
chapel  of  Aulignac,  a  building 
twelfth  -  century  in  character, 
with  a  bell  -  wall  above  the 
triumphal  arch. 

Sentein,  as  we  have  said, 
is  the  last  town  on  the  French  side  of  the  frontier, 
surrounded  by  the  slopes  of  the  mountains  rising 
towards  the  pass  of  Port  d'Arets,  above  which  is 
the  Pic  de  Mauberme,  the  highest  summit  in  this 
part  of  the  Pyrenees.  Its  special  interest  lies  in  the 
fortified  church,  the  bell-tower  of  which  served  as 
donjon.  The  walled  enclosure  was  defended  by 
four  other  towers  at  the  angles,  through  one  of 
which  a  pointed  archway  afforded  the  only  means  of 
entrance.  A  few  years  ago  one  of  them  was  pulled 
down,  with  a  good  deal  of  the  curtain  wall,  and  the 


PLAN    OF    FORTIFIED    CHURCH, 
SENTEIN. 


FORTIFIED   CHURCH   AT   SENTEIN  191 

space  utilized  for  the  weekly  market,  but  although  the 
medieval  aspect  of  the  place  was  thus  damaged,  the 
tall  pyramidal  roofs  of  those  which  remain  still  give 
picturesqueness  to  the  little  town.  The  church  was 
built  in  the  twelfth  century.  Of  this  only  the  lower 
part  of  the  bell-tower  remains,  the  square  portion. 
The  upper  part  is  oc- 
tagonal, and  was  prob- 
ably built  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  the 
bands  of  foliage  which 
run  above  the  colon- 
nettes  as  caps,  and  the 
little  supports  of  the 
bases,  suggesting  that 
period.  The  two  upper 
stories  were  added  to- 
wards the  end  of  the 
seventeenth.  The  lower 
stories  have  round  - 
headed  windows,  and 
are  set  back  slightly. 
The  ground-floor  is  used  as  a  baptistery.  The  door 
from  the  church  has  three  orders,  with  rolls  at  the 
angles,  and  one  column  with  carved  cap  in  the  jamb. 
It  formerly  opened  outside,  according  to  liturgical 
prescription.  There  was  no  communication  with 
the  upper  rooms,  to  which  access  was  obtained  by  a 
stair  from  the  nave,  afterwards  closed.      The   room 


WINDOW    IN    TOWER,    SENTEIN. 


192  THE  VALLEY   OF  THE   LEZ 

above  is  lighted  by  three  queer  httle  windows,  round- 
headed,  with  a  triangular  opening  in  the  tympanum, 
and  the  lintel  supported  by  four  short,  thick  colon- 
nettes,  two  and  two.  Towards  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century  the  church  was  surrounded  with  a  fortified 
enceinte,  half  oval  in  plan,  about  130  by  117  feet. 
The  church  is  in  the  north-west  corner.  The  nave  of 
three  bays  is  roofed  with  a  pointed  waggon-vault,  with 
chamfered  supporting  arches,  and  a  five-sided  apse 
vaulted  with  ribs.  It  was  refitted  at  the  period  of  the 
Renaissance,  and  the  aisles  are  entirely  in  that  style. 
In  the  course  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  ditches 
were  filled  up,  and  the  steep  slate  roofs  were  then 
added.  The  church  is  still  dedicated  to  the  Virgin, 
and  a  statue  of  Our  Lady  of  Pity  occupies  a  niche  over 
the  pointed  archway  of  the  entrance  gate-tower.  The 
bell-tower,  which  is  the  finest  in  the  Ariege,  served  as  a 
donjon,  and  had  a  stair  opening  outside  the  walls. 
The  inhabitants  of  Sentein  had  a  right  of  commerce 
with  Spain  even  in  time  of  war,  and  reaped  much 
profit  from  it. 

The  day  was  beautiful,  and  the  drive  most  pleasant. 
As  we  returned  we  heard  the  goatherd's  pipe,  and  saw 
him  leading  his  flock  from  door  to  door  in  the  villages 
where  they  were  milked.  We  saw  beehives  made  of 
tree-trunks  covered  with  slates,  weighted  to  make  them 
secure.  The  pleasant  rushing  of  the  river  accompanied 
us  a  great  part  of  the  way,  intensified  near  St.  Girons 
by  the  weirs  by  which  it  was  put  to  work,  and  the  fresh 


A   PAGEANT   OF   COLOUR  193 

blossoms  of  the  fruit-trees,  with  the  pale  green  of 
spring  foliage,  were  relieved  brilliantly  against  the 
blue  of  the  mountains,  which  always  formed  the  back- 
ground of  the  picture.  A  day  to  mark  with  a  white 
stone  ! 


FOIX    AND    THE    ValLEY    OF   THE    ARlfeGE. 

The  town  of  Foix  (from  Fouach,  the  neighbouring 
mountain)  is  picturesquely  situated  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Ariege,  at  the  juncture  of  the  Arget  with  that  river. 
A  bridge,  built  in  1833,  has  replaced  one  of  the  twelfth 
century  over  the  larger  river,  which  flows  between  high 
embankment  walls,  while  the  rail  runs  on  a  lower  level 
between  the  water  and  a  broad  road,  on  to  which  the 
hotels  face.  Close  behind  these  rocks  rise  precipitously, 
terraced  for  cultivation  in  the  lower  part. 

The  first  time  we  visited  the  place  we  reached  it  as 
night  fell,  arriving  at  the  hotel  while  dinner  was  in 
progress.  The  very  efficient  service  was  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  women  of  various  ages.  The  sweet  mountain 
air  invited  early  repose,  and  through  the  open  windows 
the  rushing  river  sang  a  soothing  lullaby,  and  mingled 
its  music  with  pleasant  dreams.  Lofty  hills  encircle 
the  town,  and  at  5  a.m.  the  flush  of  dawn  reddened  the 
snowy  crests  which  rose  high  above  the  houses  on  the 
opposite  river  bank.  For  half  an  hour  the  pageant  of 
colour  continued,  sky  and  snow  vying  with  each  other 
in  beauty  of  tint.     To  the  right  was  the    Church  of 

25 


194     FOIX   AND    THE  VALLEY   OF   THE  ARIEGE 

S.  Volusien,  the  only  portion  remaining  of  the  great 
Benedictine  Abbey  round  which  the  town  grew  up. 
Higher,  and  nearly  opposite,  the  castle  towered  on  its 
isolated  rock  ;  every  detail  was  clear  and  distinct,  for 
at  that  time  no  smoke  rose  from  any  chimney. 

The  situation  occupied  by  the  Castle  is  magnificent. 
In  the  ravine  at  its  base  the  Arget  tumbles  over  weirs 
and  turns  mill-wheels,  crossed  some  little  distance  away 
by  the  viaduct  carrying  the  road  to  St.  Girons.  Below 
the  castle  rock  is  the  Palais  de  Justice,  once  the  palace 
of  the  Governors  of  the  Comte  de  Foix,  now  also  housing 
the  Museum  in  its  lower  rooms,  some  of  which  date 
from  the  fifteenth  century.  Here  are  to  be  found  some 
capitals  from  the  cloister  of  S.  Volusien,  a  few  other 
architectural  fragments,  coins,  etc.  A  httle  nearer  the 
bridge  is  the  church  dedicated  to  the  saint,  who  was 
Bishop  of  Tours,  was  exiled  by  Alaric  IL,  and  mas- 
sacred in  497  near  Varilhes  by  the  Arian  Visigoths. 
His  relics  were  brought  hither  when  the  oratory  founded 
by  Charlemagne,  after  his  expedition  against  the 
Saracens,  was  converted  into  an  abbey  in  the  tenth 
century.  The  oldest  portions  of  the  church,  the  nave 
walls,  the  transept  (except  the  vaults),  and  the  Roman- 
esque south  door,  are  due  to  the  reconstruction  under 
Roger  IL  (1111-1123).  The  Gothic  choir,  with  its 
seven  chapels  was  added  in  the  fifteenth  century.  It 
was  sacked  by  the  Huguenots  and  altogether  ruined 
in  1581.  The  vaults,  which  have  pointed  arches  and 
ribs  to  match,  were  built  in  the  seventeenth  century, 


196     FOIX  AND   THE  VALLEY   OF   THE   ARIEGE 

showing  that  the  imitation  of  an  earher  style  is  not  a 
novel  expedient  invented  by  modern  architects.  It 
was   reconstructed   by    Pierre    de    Caulet,    from    1609 

Treasurer  of  France  at  Toulouse 
with  his  brother,  Jean  Georges. 
Francois  Etienne  de  Caulet,  his 
nephew,  who  was  Abbot  of  S.  Volu- 
sien  in  1627,  and  Bishop  of  Pamiers 
in  1644,  raised  the  vaults,  and 
gave  the  silver  "  chapelle  "  to  the 
high-altar.  It  had  never  been 
vaulted,  and  was  paved  with  the 
materials  of  the  Calvinist  church 
demolished  by  the  Catholics  in 
1622.  The  raftered  roof  was  so 
defective  that  in  1632  the  high- 
altar  fell,  being  decayed  by  the 
rain  !  In  1664  it  was  decided  to 
vault  it  ;  in  1666  the  political 
council  voted  350  livres  for  the 
purpose,  and  as  much  in  1667- 
1669,  and  1670,  the  work  being 
completed  in  1672,  including  a 
little  bell-turret  for  Low  Masses. 
The  choir  is  surrounded  by  pretty 
chapels,  and  encloses  a  sixteenth-century  Holy  Sepul- 
chre. Some  low  stalls  taken  from  S.  Sernin.  Toulouse, 
at  the  restoration  of  the  basihca  serve  for  choir-stalls. 
The  square  bell-tower  is  dated  on  stones  in  the  wall  of 


PLAN   OF  S.  VOLUSIEN,   FOIX. 


FOIX  IN   THE    MIDDLE  AGES  197 

the  staircase,  1525  and  1527.  The  interior  has  lost  all 
signs  of  age,  having  been  decorated  with  wall-paintings 
in  the  last  few  years.  In  the  library  are  said  to  be 
some  choral  books  of  the  sixteenth  century  from  the 
Monastery  of  Mirepoix,  with  beautiful  miniatures.  We 
thought  they  were  in  the  Museum,  but  the  custodian 
said  "  No,"  and  did  not  tell  us  where  they  were,  so 
we  didn't  see  them.  During  the  Revolution  a  number 
of  the  initials  were  cut  out  by  the  mistress  of  a 
school  belonging  to  the  town,  and  given  as  prizes  to 
the  children  ! 

There  was  a  station  on  the  plateau  in  Roman  times, 
which  the  discovery  of  coins  and  other  objects  of  the 
Imperial  period  proves.  The  town  was  among  the 
fiefs  given  to  Bernard,  son  of  Roger,  Count  of  Carcas- 
sonne, who  died  in  1090,  after  his  marriage  to  the 
daughter  of  the  Viscount  of  Beziers,  at  which  the  King 
of  Aragon  and  the  Counts  of  Carcassonne  and  of 
Toulouse  were  present.  The  latter  erected  the  seig- 
neurie  into  a  comte.  As  vassal  of  the  Counts  of  Tou- 
louse, Roger  Bernard  II.,  Count  of  Foix  (i  188-1223), 
was  involved  in  the  Albigensian  Wars,  and  Simon  de 
Montfort  besieged  the  castle,  but  fruitlessly,  and  after 
ten  days  departed,  having  burnt  the  suburbs  and  taken 
the  town,  threatening  to  melt  the  rocks  and  grill  the 
Count.  In  1215  he  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  Pope, 
and  as  a  gage  of  fidelity  gave  the  castle  up  to  his  legate, 
Peter  of  Beneventum,  who  confided  its  charge  to  the 
Abbot  of  S.  Tibery,  of  course  at  the  Count's  expense. 


198  FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  ARIEGE 
He,  however,  left  the  country,  and  gave  it  up  to  Simon 
de  Montfort.  At  the  Lateran  Council  at  the  end  of 
the  year  Roger  Bernard  appeared  in  person  to  defend 
his  cause  and  claim  his  rights,  but  it  was  only  in  1218 
that  he  regained  possession.  A  later  Count,  Roger 
Bernard  III.,  who  was  vassal  to  Philippe  le  Hardi,  was 
besieged  in  the  castle  in  1272.  The  siege  lasted  from 
June  3  to  5,  and  the  story  goes  that  the  King  under- 
mined part  of  the  rock  on  which  the  castle  was  built, 
threatening  to  entirely  destroy  it,  which  brought  the 
Count  to  terms,  but  there  was  hardly  time  in  three 
days  to  do  much  damage.  The  Count  was  sent  as 
prisoner  to  Carcassonne,  where  he  remained  a  twelve- 
month, and  he  did  not  regain  possession  of  his  castle 
till  1285.  He  was  a  troubadour,  and  beguiled  his 
captivity  with  songs. 

The  castle  stands  on  a  rock  180  feet  high,  to  the 
north-west  of  the  town.  There  are  two  great  square 
towers,  which  served  as  donjon  successively  in  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  In  the  least  lofty, 
the  oldest  (late  twelfth-century),  were  chambers  once 
used  by  the  Inquisition,  as  were  some  of  the  dungeons, 
but  there  is  now  no  vaulting  in  it,  though  it  has  an 
oubliette.  In  the  fourteenth  century  it  had  its  walls  thick- 
ened ;  the  round-arched  windows  still  show  inside.  The 
other  tower  has  vaulted  rooms,  on  the  caps  in  which  are 
grotesque  figures.  The  bosses  on  the  first  floor  show 
the  arms  of  Foix  and  Beam,  those  of  the  second  Foix 
and   Comminges.     It  seems,  therefore,  to   have   been 


THE  CASTLE   AT   FOIX  199 

built  by  Gaston  II.,  Count  of  Foix  and  Beam  (1315- 
1343),  who  married  Eleanor  de  Comminges.  The 
great  round  tower,  136  feet  high,  often  wrongly  ascribed 
to  Gaston  Phoebus,  but  built  in  1445  to  defend  the 
winding  approach  to  the  gates,  was  entered  only  by  a 
wooden  gahery  at  the  height  of  the  curtain  walls,  which 
could  be  removed  in  time  of  war.  The  square  towers 
are,  however,  shown  on  two  seals  of  the  Counts,  12 15 
and  1241,  with  a  connecting  building  of  one  story. 
The  donjon  existed  in  1450,  as  a  document  of  that 
date  shows,  and  the  style  agrees  with  that  period. 
About  1832  the  castle  was  used  as  a  prison,  and  carvings 
by  the  prisoners  still  exist.  It  was  restored  in  1888 
under  M.  Boeswilwald.  The  mortar  was  raked  out  and 
replaced  with  cement,  the  perished  stones  taken  out, 
and  new  ones  put  in  ;  but  the  masonry  of  the  round 
tower  was  so  good  that  scarcely  anything  was  done  to 
it  beyond  replacing  three  battlements,  and  making  a 
cement  platform  as  roof.  There  is  so  little  space  within 
the  waUs  that  one  wonders  how  the  garrison  lived. 
A  large  clock  now  occupies  one  of  the  square  towers, 
which  has  to  be  wound  up  every  eighteen  hours  ;  the 
weights,  of  70  and  26  kilogrammes  respectively,  descend 
to  the  terrace  through  two  other  floors,  and  the  gardien 
appeared  to  find  the  winding  of  them  up  rather  onerous. 
The  collection  of  documents  from  the  Archives,  removed 
to  the  Abbey  of  S.  Volusien,  which  was  then  the  seat  of 
departmental  administration,  was  burnt  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  prefecture  in  1804.     Gaston  was  a  favourite 


200      FOIX   AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  ARIEGE 

name  in  the  family  of  the  Counts  of  Foix  and  Beam. 
The  most  celebrated  bearers  of  the  name  were  the 
young  military  genius,  Gaston  de  Foix,  Duke  of 
Nemours,  son  of  Gaston  IV.,  Viscount  of  Beam  and 
Count  of  Foix,  and  of  Marie  d' Orleans,  sister  of 
Louis  XIL,  who  died  victorious  over  the  Spaniards 
near  Ravenna  in  1512  ;  and  the  brilliant  Gaston 
Phoebus,  who  at  his  death  left  his  estates  to  the  King 
of  France,  a  bequest  renounced  by  Charles  VL  in  1391 
by  letters  dated  from  Tours.  He  was  called  Phoebus 
because  of  his  golden  hair,  which  curled  like  an  aureole 
round  his  head.  He  was  cultivated,  and  loved  beauti- 
ful books  and  jewels.  Several  manuscripts  illuminated 
for  him  still  exist,  and  copies  of  the  treatise  on  hunting 
which  he  wrote,  and  which  was  much  appreciated  in 
the  fifteenth  century,  are  estimated  as  being  among 
the  finest  manuscripts  of  the  latest  medieval  period. 
Froissart,  who  stayed  with  him,  writes  of  him  enthusi- 
astically, and  he  has  been  considered  the  type  of  the 
"  grand  seigneur  "  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

He  was  the  son  of  Gaston  IL  and  Eleanor  de  Com- 
minges,  and  was  scarcely  twelve  years  old  when  his 
father  died  in  1343.  Five  years  later  he  married 
Agnes  of  Navarre,  daughter  of  King  Philippe  d'  Ev- 
reux  (VL),  and  sister  of  Charles  the  Bad.  At  first  he 
served  the  King  of  France,  and  was,  indeed,  married 
in  Paris  ;  but  in  1352  John  IL  favoured  the  Count  of 
Armagnac,  the  hereditary  enemy  of  his  house,  and 
from  that  time  he  became  absolutely  neutral  as  be- 


A    WAI.I,    lOUMAIN    Al      lOIX. 


To  fill  C   pilRC   ■J'.Kl, 


GASTON   PHCEBUS  201 

tween  France  and  England,  refusing  military  service 
and  the  raising  of  any  subsidy,  and  emphasizing  his 
refusal  by  going  off  to  help  the  Grand  Master  of  the 
Teutonic  Order  to  fight  the  infidel  in  Prussia.  This 
was  in  1357,  and  he  was  accompanied  by  his  cousin, 
the  famous  Captal  de  Buch,  and  several  other  gentle- 
men of  the  South.  On  his  return  he  attacked 
Languedoc,  then  ruled  for  the  King  by  the  Count  of 
Poitiers,  and  when  peace  was  concluded  at  Pamiers, 
two  years  later,  it  cost  the  province  200,000  francs  of 
gold.  In  1362  he  defeated  the  Count  of  Armagnac  at 
Lannac,  with  the  help  of  the  Great  Companies  (left 
free  by  the  Treaty  of  Bretigny),  taking  him  and  most 
of  his  Barons  prisoners.  The  ransom  extorted  pro- 
vided means  for  great  building  operations  in  Beam 
and  Foix  (the  Count  himself  paid  100,000  francs),  and 
the  common  soldiers  taken  were  employed  as  opera- 
tives. It  also  enabled  him  to  maintain  a  splendid 
Court.  To  defend  himself  from  the  friends  of  the 
Count  of  Armagnac  he  went  to  Agen,  six  weeks  after 
the  battle  of  Lannac,  and  rendered  homage  to 
Edward  III.  Fourteen  years  later  he  returned  to  his 
earlier  relations,  and  became  an  ally  of  the  King  of 
France.  He  usually  lived  in  the  Castle  of  Orthez,  and 
it  was  there  that  the  tragedy  of  the  death  of  his  only 
legitimate  son  took  place,  as  has  been  described  in  the 
chapter  dealing  with  that  town. 

Frederic  Soulie,  the  novelist,  and  De  Freycinet,  the 
politician,  were  also  natives  of  Foix,  from  above  which 

26 


202     FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  ARI£GE 

town  the  electric  power  for  the  city  of  Bordeaux  comes, 
the  works  being  by  the  Lake  of  Limoux. 

Two  miles  below  Foix  stands  the  Church  of  S.  Jean 
des  Verges,  a  twelfth-century  church  of  much  historical 
interest,  for  it  was  hither  that  Roger  Bernard,  Count 
of  Foix,  came  to  receive  absolution  on  June  i6,  1229, 
at  the  end  of  the  Albigensian  War.  In  presence  of 
the  principal  prelates  of  the  province  he  rendered 
homage  to  the  King  of  France,  to  whom  the  Count  of 
Toulouse  had  abandoned  his  rights  for  all  the  districts 
beyond  the  Pas  de  la  Barre.  The  church  has  a  single 
nave,  waggon-vaulted,  with  supporting  arches,  and  a 
central  apse  flanked  by  two  absidioles  ;  no  transept,  but 
a  preparation  for  a  central  tower,  with  smaller  arches 
into  the  absidioles.  In  the  apse  are  three  windows, 
with  archivolt  on  colonnettes,  and  there  are  three  along 
the  north  side.  The  south  and  west  sides  are  embedded 
in  the  priory  buildings.  The  buttresses  are  like  those 
of  the  apsidal  chapels  at  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse,  consisting 
of  two  columns  one  above  the  other. 

The  upper  valley  of  the  Ariege  is  very  fine  in  its 
scenery,  especially  when  storm-clouds  lower  ;  and  there 
are  a  good  many  ruins  of  castles,  etc.,  some  still  giving 
a  very  fair  idea  of  the  appearance  of  medieval  fortifica- 
tions. For  instance,  below  Mercus  a  fortified  bridge 
crosses  the  river,  and  the  walls  of  the  defensive  work 
through  which  the  road  passed  still  remain,  so  that 
looking  from  above  it  seems  almost  perfect.  At 
Tarascon  the  isolated  knoll  of  rock  on  which  the  old 


RUINS  AND  CAVES  203 

town  is  built  is  surmounted  by  remains  of  the  walls 
of  the  citadel  or  castle,  a  curtain  wall  with  two  or  three 
round  towers,  one  of  which  has  been  restored  ;  the 
castle  was  destroyed  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Behind  the  rock  a  square  church  tower,  with  slated 
roof,  appears,  Romanesque  in  the  character  of  its 
design.  The  town  stands  in  a  little  plain  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Oriege  with  the  Ariege,  and  is  a  busy 
manufacturing  place,  with  iron  foundries  and  forges. 
Higher  up  the  valley  we  saw  an  electric  forge  worked 
by  water  power,  and  glowing  with  brilliant  light.  In 
the  cliffs  are  many  caves  which  have  been  used  as 
habitations,  some  of  which  still  retain  battlemented 
walls  across  the  entrance  and  other  defensive  works. 
Caves  abound  in  the  district,  some  with  prehistoric 
remains,  some  the  interest  of  which  is  much  more 
modern.  In  the  Grotte  de  Lombrive,  the  mouth  of 
which  may  be  seen  from  the  station  at  Ussat-les-Bains, 
several  Albigenses  took  refuge  when  pursued  by  the 
troops  of  the  Inquisition.  It  extends  three  miles  into 
the  mountain,  and  the  soldiers  did  not  trouble  them- 
selves to  follow  the  fugitives  ;  they  simply  walled  up 
the  entrance  and  left  them  to  perish  !  Above  Luzenac- 
Garanou  are  the  ruins  of  a  big  castle  on  a  hill,  the 
Chateau  de  Lordat,  which  is  said  to  have  been  in 
existence  in  the  tenth  century,  but  all  the  way  up  the 
valley  smaller  ruined  castles  are  to  be  seen  on  both  sides 
on  the  top  of  hills,  like  the  entertaining  backgrounds  of 
early  pictures.     Ax-les-Thermes   appears  to  be  built 


204      FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF   THE  ARlfiGE 

over  a  natural  reservoir  of  thermal  mineral  water,  for 
there  are  no  less  than  sixty-one  springs  varying  in 
temperature  from  warm  to  hot,  as  well  as  in  their 
mineral  constituents.  They  were  known  to  the 
Romans,  for  Ax  is,  of  course,  a  corruption  of  Aquae. 
It  is  a  pleasant  little  place,  with  tree-planted  areas  and 
much  rushing  of  water,  for  it  is  situated  at  the  con- 
fluence of  three  streams.  There  is  a  smell  of  bad  eggs 
perceptible  in  several  places  from  the  sulphurous 
springs,  and  to  the  photographer  the  row  of  bathing 
cabins  devoted  to  hyposulphite  baths  will  be  interest- 
ing. These  rows  of  bathing  cabins  suggest  English  sea- 
side places,  especially  when,  as  at  Ussat,  they  are 
painted  a  pale  green,  and  face  the  line.  At  Ax  there 
is  a  steaming  tank  in  front  of  the  hospital  (founded  in 
1260  for  leprous  soldiers  by  S.  Louis,  but  showing  no 
traces  of  its  age),  and  from  it  and  other  springs  people 
were  drawing  water  for  domestic  use,  as  at  Dax. 

A  railway  is  projected  from  Ax  through  the  Pyrenees 
to  Ripoll  in  Catalonia,  and,  according  to  the  agreement 
between  the  French  and  Spanish  Governments,  it  is  to 
be  completed  in  ten  years.  This  will  bring  a  very 
interesting  region  within  comparatively  easy  reach, 
and  should  add  to  the  prosperity  of  the  valley  if  the 
Spanish  Customs  officials  can  be  induced  to  treat 
travellers  honestly  and  civilly. 

The  Ariegeois  are,  after  the  Basques,  the  most 
original  people  of  the  French  side  of  the  Pyrenees. 
They  are  a  strong  race  with  marked  features,  about 


THE   ARI£GE0IS  205 

middle  height,  but  well  knit,  of  rude  manners,  hardened 
by  the  privations  of  mountain  life.     It  is  said  that 
until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  many  of 
them  had  hardly  ever  tasted  bread  !     In  the  plains 
and  the  valleys  they  are  characterized  by  sobriety, 
faithfulness  to  tradition,  and  jealousy  of  their  rights. 
In  a  few  valleys  the  ancient  costume  may  still  be  seen, 
and  some  of  them  are  mentioned  by  geographers  for 
the  singularity  of  their  customs,  such  as  the  valley  of 
Ustou,  where  bear  cubs  were  kept  indoors  all  winter 
and  trained  for  exhibitions  at  fairs  in  the  summer  ; 
and   the   environs    of   Vicdessous,  where,  among   the 
miners   of    Rancie,   the    medieval  corporations,   with 
their  rites  and  formulas,  continued.     They  have  always 
been  distinguished  for  energy.     In  the  Middle  Ages  the 
Viscounts  of  Couserans  had  but  a  nominal  authority, 
and  the  powerful  Counts  of  Foix  could  only  make  sure 
of  their  fidelity  by  respecting  their  liberties  and  agree- 
ing somewhat  with  their  religious  opinions.     If  they 
were  not  the  first  to  embrace  the  Manichean  doctrines 
of  the  twelfth  century,  they  were  their  latest  and  most 
ardent    defenders,    and    led    their    Sovereigns   into   a 
desperate  resistance  to  Simon  de  Montfort,  who  could 
not   conquer  them  ;    and   when   the   Counts   of  Foix 
abandoned  them  to  do  homage  to  the  King  of  France, 
the  Manicheans  of  the  Ariege  fortified  themselves  in 
inaccessible  refuges,  and  were  there  exterminated.     In 
the  risings  under  Louis  XIII.  and  XIV.  the  Protestants 
of  the  plains  and  lower  valleys  did  not  dare  to  join  those 


2o6     FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  ARIEGE 

of  the  Cevennes  and  Languedoc  because  the  moun- 
taineers remained  faithful  to  CathoUcism.  Following 
on  the  persecutions  of  the  eighteenth  century,  many 
of  the  Protestants  fled  the  country,  and,  except  for 
some  7,000,  the  population  is  now  Catholic,  but  also 
practises  superstitions  which  are  of  Gaulish  origin, 
if  not  more  ancient.  Pierre  Bayle,  the  first  apostle 
of  toleration,  was  born  in  the  department,  but  was 
obliged  to  exile  himself  in  order  to  promulgate  his 
philosophical  doctrines. 

The  churches  are  all  of  the  Languedocian  type,  and 
the  bell-towers  are  never  above  the  crossing,  the  only 
exception  being  that  of  St.  Lizier,  which  is  built  on  a 
Romanesque  base.  The  Romanesque  forms  lasted  in 
some  places  long  after  Gothic  had  supplanted  them  in 
most  districts,  sometimes  even  into  the  fourteenth 
century. 

We  had  projected  a  drive  from  Ax-les-Thermes  by 
way  of  Hospitalet  and  the  Col  de  Puymorens  to  Bourg 
Madame,  descending  thence  by  Mont  Louis  and  the 
Tet  Valley  to  Villefranche  le  Conflent,  but  were  dis- 
appointed to  find  from  the  landlord  of  the  inn  at  Ax 
that  the  Col  was  not  yet  open  for  carriage  traffic.  Our 
photographic  plates  were  too  precious  for  us  to  risk 
them  on  mule-back,  so  we  determined  to  return  to 
Foix  by  train,  and  drive  by  way  of  Lavalanet  to  Quillan, 
from  which  place  Perpignan  may  be  reached  by  rail. 
We  left  by  the  first  train,  reaching  Foix  at  a  quarter 
to  ten,  and  then  spent  some  time  in  finding  a  carriage 


CHURCH   AT  LAVALANET  207 

and  driver,  but  got  off  in  time  to  reach  Lavalanet  before 
dejeuner  had  been  cleared  away  at  the  hotel.  The 
church  here  belonged  to  a  Priory  of  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse, 
and  though  rebuilt  in  the  seventeenth  century,  still 
preserves  pointed  windows  in  the  sanctuary — another 
example  of  the  survival  of  obsolete  forms  so  frequent 
in  the  district.  A  rather  fine  pulpit  of  a  debased 
period  distinguishes  a  building  otherwise  uninteresting. 
The  staircase  is  enriched  with  acanthus  scrolls,  and 
carved  panels  display  the  subject  of  the  Annunciation, 
and  the  figures  of  the  four  Evangehsts  and  of  S. 
Bartholomew,  who  is  included  in  consequence  of  the 
local  legend  that  he  threw  down  a  statue  of  an  antique 
divinity  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  close  by, 
which  was  consecrated  to  him.  The  pulpit  is  sup- 
ported by  a  crouching  man,  and  reminds  one  rather  of 
Belgian  pulpits  of  the  late  Renaissance. 

The  day  was  lovely  for  a  drive,  sunny  and  warm, 
and  the  scenery  pleasant,  though  not  imposing,  except 
here  and  there.  It  was  Sunday,  and  the  fields  had 
few  peasants  at  work  in  them,  but  near  villages  groups 
of  figures  made  the  roads  lively.  In  one  place  a  restive 
horse  engaged  the  attention  of  several  men  and  women, 
one  of  whom  had  a  dark-eyed  beauty  suggesting  gipsy 
or  Spanish  blood  in  her  ancestors  ;  but  beauty  is  rare 
in  the  district.  At  Puivert  a  good  deal  of  the  castle 
remains,  beneath  the  protection  of  which  the  little  town 
grew  up,  or,  if  you  will,  beneath  the  menace  of  which 
it  crouched.     It  was  a  very  strong  castle,  and  is  inter- 


2o8     FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  ARIEGE 

esting  as  being  the  place  in  which  in  the  twelfth  century 
the  most  ancient  competition  of  poets  took  place 
recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  South  of  France.  At  that 
time  a  lake  stretched  above  it,  which,  when  it  burst  its 
banks  in  1279,  caused  the  destruction  of  Mirepoix. 

The  road  descends  with  great  sweeps  and  zigzags, 
giving  many  varied  views  of  the  little  place  and  of  the 
castle  walls,  as  the  changes  of  position  influence  the 
grouping  of  tower  and  rock,  of  house  and  wood  ;  and 
beyond  Belesta,  in  the  direction  of  Quillan,  is  a  chateau 
belonging  to  the  Parisian  Rothschilds,  who  own  the 
wooded  crests  of  the  hills  round,  from  which  they  cut 
£40,000  worth  of  timber  every  year — as  our  driver  told 
us,  but  perhaps  he  meant  francs.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon clouds  had  gathered,  and  a  cold  wind  sprang  up, 
so  that  we  rather  wished  to  be  at  our  journey's  end, 
and  welcomed  the  splendid  view  which  burst  upon  us 
when  we  reached  the  final  crest,  and  saw  Quillan  lying 
far  below  in  the  midst  of  an  amphitheatre  of  hills, 
many  of  them  with  their  summits  hidden  among  the 
clouds.  The  curves  of  the  road  by  which  we  descended 
were  so  various  and  sudden  that  it  seemed  almost  tied 
in  knots,  though  the  grading  was  really  so  scientific 
that  the  descent  was  accomplished  with  ease  and 
comfort.  A  medieval  bridge  crosses  the  Aude  here, 
with  the  ruins  of  a  strong  castle  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury frowning  above  it,  a  square  keep,  with  octagonal 
turrets,  corbelled  out  at  the  corners,  and  very  little 
remaining  above  the  corbelling.     The  river  is  broken 


THE  AUDE  VALLEY  209 

up  by  weirs  and  waterfalls,  with  an  island  or  two,  and 
forms  an  attractive  picture  above  the  bridge. 

The  town  is  the  centre  of  an  important  forest  district, 
and  lies  at  the  entrance  of  the  defiles  of  the  Valley  of 
the  Aude,  and  not  very  far  from  the  picturesque  Valley 
of  the  Rebent}',  which  lies  between  Axat  and  Ax-les- 
Thermes.  In  the  town  is  a  statue  to  the  Abbe  Armand 
(f  1823),  erected  in  memory  of  his  services  in  procuring 
the  construction  of  the  fine  road  in  the  Upper  Aude 
Valley.  This  is  known  as  the  Route  of  the  Pierre  Lis. 
A  mountain  was  pierced  to  a  length  of  over  500  feet  to 
bring  the  water  of  the  Aude  to  a  manufactory,  and  the 
fall  is  over  30  feet  high.  The  gorge  is  above  Quillan, 
and  for  a  mile  or  so  the  road  skirts  the  river,  flanked  by 
perpendicular  rocks,  through  projecting  parts  of  which 
three  tunnels  were  pierced.  The  highest  is  called  the 
Trou  du  Cure,  in  memory  of  the  Abbe,  and  it  was 
only  completed  in  18 14  after  his  return  from  exile.  The 
gorge  is  considered  the  finest  in  the  Pyrenees. 

I  walked  from  Quillan  nearly  to  St.  Martin  Lys  in  the 
afternoon  to  see  the  gorge  to  best  advantage.  A  little 
way  outside  the  town  one  looks  down  upon  a  broad 
elbow  of  the  river,  where  several  divided  streams 
reunite,  the  islands  being  tree-covered.  The  com- 
position of  the  trees,  the  shingle,  and  the  shapes  of  the 
water  channels,  with  the  lofty,  grey,  tree-clothed 
mountains  in  the  background,  is  very  attractive, 
especially  when  the  sun  is  getting  low,  and  this  kind  of 
picture  occurs  again  and  again.     I  saw  a  board  adver- 

27 


210     FOIX  AND  THE  VALLEY   OF  THE  ARIEGE 

tising  "  wolf-traps,"  which  suggested  that  in  the  winter 
it  might  not  be  so  safe  to  ramble  on  the  mountains  ! 

Belvianes,  the  first  village  outside  Ouillan,  with  a 
few  cypresses  and  other  dark  trees  among  its  grey 
houses  roofed  with  pale  red  tiles,  on  the  other  side  of 
a  zigzag  in  the  road,  and  with  the  lofty  grey  mountain 
behind  it,  mottled  with  patches  of  trees,  and  grassy  in 
its  lower  slopes,  reminds  one  of  an  Italian  town,  except 
that  it  is  framed  in  more  luxuriant  foliage  masses  on 
each  side.  It  runs  along  the  crest  of  a  spur  of  the  hill 
overhanging  the  roadway,  with  the  campanile  of  the 
church  at  its  summit,  a  little  pyramidal  roofed  tower, 
with  one  opening  on  each  side.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  railway  is  another  portion  of  the  place,  in  which  is 
a  funny  little  church,  with  a  gable  wall  and  two  biggish 
round  arches  below  it,  in  one  of  which  a  small  bell 
hangs.     Below  is  a  built-up  door. 

The  rocks  of  the  defile  are  a  grey,  close  textured 
limestone,  with  yellow  stains  here  and  there,  so  close- 
textured  that  in  several  places  the  road  passes  beneath 
its  width,  hollowed  out  without  any  support  on  the 
other  side.  I  am  sure,  too,  that  portions  of  the  other 
side  overhang.  The  impression  is  very  wild  and 
magnificent,  and  I  should  think  with  sun  shadows  (I 
had  none)  would  be  still  more  striking.  I  should 
strongly  advise  travellers  to  go  through  the  gorges  on 
foot,  which  can  be  quite  easily  managed.  If  the  train 
is  used,  the  most  interesting  part  is  missed,  because  at 
that  place  there  is  a  long  tunnel.     If  a  motor  is  em- 


OUILLAN   AND   ITS   CHURCH  211 

ployed,  one  goes  through  so  fast  that  the  details  cannot 
be  appreciated  ;  besides,  a  person  of  any  sensibility 
must  surely  suffer  from  knowledge  of  what  a  nuisance 
he  is  to  his  fellow-creatures  ;  and  though  a  carriage  is 
less  objectionable,  since  it  can  easily  be  stopped  at  any 
desired  moment,  one  is  more  independent  on  one's  own 
feet.  It  is  only  two  miles  through  the  finest  part,  and 
the  stations  of  Belvianes  and  St.  Martin  Lys  are  con- 
veniently situated  for  going  and  returning,  though,  of 
course,  the  times  must  be  carefully  arranged  to  avoid 
tedious  waiting. 

The  Aude  has  been  put  to  work,  and  on  the  way  I 
passed  a  large  saw-mill  worked  by  electricity  (the  power 
coming  from  the  river),  occupying  half  a  mile  of  the 
roadside  beneath  the  trees.  A  notice  was  stuck  up,  say- 
ing that  "trespassers  would  be  prosecuted,"  but  there 
was  nothing  in  the  least  like  a  barrier.  As  I  returned 
the  moon  was  trying  to  break  through  the  clouds,  and 
the  road  glimmered  white  among  the  mysterious 
darknesses  bordering  it,  spotted  here  and  there  by  other 
darknesses,  which  developed  into  persons  as  they 
approached  and  passed. 

Quillan  appears  to  get  its  name  from  three  peaks, 
or  "  quilles,"  which  are  conspicuous  objects  from  the 
entrance  of  the  town.  The  church  is  of  much  the  usual 
pattern — a  broad  vaulted  nave,  with  side-chapels  in 
each  of  the  four  bays,  a  small  choir  (or  rather 
sanctuary),  and  vaulting  with  the  peculiarity  of  an 
oculus,  pierced  in  the  vault  above  the  centre  of  each 


212  ALEX 

arch.     Most  of  the  arches  are  round.     Since  my  last 

visit  utihtarianism  has  much  damaged  the  view  of  the 

bridge  by  removing  the  bushes  from  the  island  on  the 

weir. 

Alet. 

Alet  lies  on  the  hne  between  Quillan  and  Carcassonne, 
and  is  celebrated  for  the  ruins  of  its  abbey  and  for 
its  thermal  station.  I  left  Quillan  on  a  beautiful 
morning,  although  the  wind  was  cold  in  the  shadow  (a 
reminiscence  of  the  mistral  of  two  days  before),  and 
enjoyed  the  prospect  of  the  mountains  above  the  gorges, 
gradually  receding,  and  the  many  nice  little  places 
which  the  train  passed  within  sight  of.  A  ruined 
castle  on  the  hills  above  Esperaza  was  visible  for  a  long 
distance,  and  one  place  called  Couiza-Montazels  looked 
almost  like  an  Italian  village,  partly  owing  to  the 
rough  stone  terraces  in  the  vineyards,  on  which  crosses 
appeared  here  and  there — I  suppose  to  commemorate 
accidents.  All  along  the  line  ruined  towers  kept 
appearing,  and  in  one  place  a  castle,  with  round  towers 
at  the  corners,  was  in  good  repair,  close  to  which  was 
an  interesting  bridge,  with  the  side-walks  carried  on 
segmental  arches  above  semicircular. 

On  reaching  Alet  an  unforeseen  difficulty  arose. 
The  bathing  season  was  over  and  the  hotels  shut,  and 
the  one  to  which  I  was  directed,  said  to  be  open  all 
the  year  round,  appeared  to  be  untenanted,  for  I 
walked  all  over  it  without  finding  anyone.     Finally  I 


THE   ABBEY  213 

found  an  old  lady,  who  promised  to  provide  me  with 
dejeuner,  and  I  was  set  down  in  a  salle-d-manger  large 
enough  to  accommodate  fifty  diners  or  more,  with, 
after  a  time,  two  companions,  a  priest  and  an  old  lady, 
who  conversed  across  the  room  in  loud  voices. 

The  situation  of  Alet  is  pleasant,  and  from  the  other 
side  of  the  bridge  it  looks  a  charming  place.  Some 
distance  down  the  road  on  the  way  to  Limoux  are 
remains  of  another  bridge,  a  pier  with  beak  down- 
stream as  well  as  up,  portions  of  the  abutment  on  each 
side,  and  a  bit  of  the  arch  in  the  stream,  most  of  it  cut 
stone,  Joanne  says  they  are  Roman  work ;  to  me 
they  looked  medieval.  Nearly  opposite  is  the  original 
mineral  spring. 

It  is  the  abbey  and  its  appurtenances,  however, 
which  one  goes  to  see  at  Alet,  the  foundation  of  which 
reaches  back  to  the  early  years  of  the  ninth  century. 
It  was  in  813  that  Bera,  Count  of  Razes,  with  his  wife 
BomiUe,  founded  it,  placing  it  under  the  rule  of  S. 
Benedict  and  the  direct  jurisdiction  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  The  Abbots  often  had  to  address  the  Holy  See 
for  solemn  confirmation  of  their  privileges  and  domin- 
ions, obtaining  several  Bulls  to  this  effect  in  the 
twelfth  century.  The  name  is  a  corruption  of  Coeno- 
bium  loci  electi,  or  Electense.  The  dedication  was'  to 
the  Virgin.  In  1096  it  was  visited  by  Urban  II.  on 
his  way  from  Carcassonne  and  Toulouse  after  the 
Council  of  Clermont,  and  in  the  fourteenth  century 
John  XXII.  erected  the  abbacy  into  a  bishopric,  trans- 


THE   ABBEY   CHURCH  215 

ferred  from  Limoux.  It  was  a  good  deal  damaged 
during  the  wars  of  religion,  especially  in  1577,  but  in 
the  seventeenth  century  the  bishopric  was  held  by  the 
austere  Jansenist,  Pavilion,  friend  of  S.  Vincent  de 
Paul.  The  church  is  now  entirely  in  ruins,  though 
works  of  repair  have  been  carried  out  of  late  years,  and 
the  fabric  seems  secure. 

It  is  a  parallelogram,  with  a  five-sided  apse,  a 
transept  very  slightly  projecting  and  half  destroyed, 
and  towers  on  each  side  about  the  middle  of  the  nave, 
built  of  a  reddish-brown  stone,  with  regularly  cut 
blocks.  The  inside  measurement  is  about  145  feet  in 
length,  of  which  26  feet 
belong  to  the  sanctuary. 
This  is  about  20  feet 
broad  across  the  apse, 
with  two  Corinthian  piers, 
with  very  fine  caps,  sup- 
porting the  arch.  The 
transepts  are  about  82 
feet  across,  and  the  nave 
and  aisles  about  32  feet. 
with  a  round-headed,  vaulted  niche  sunk  in  each, 
except  the  centre  one,  which  is  deeper  and  has  two 
little  niches  additional  sunk  in  the  sides,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  flat  wall  at  the  back  of  the  niche.  The 
semi-dome  is  five-sided,  and  is  pierced  by  three  little 
windows  ;  in  each  angle  is  a  column,  with  incomplete 
cap,  and  a  string  runs  round  above  the  arches.     The 


PLAN    OF    APSE,    ALEX. 


The   apse  has   five   sides, 


2i6  ALET 

nave  arcade  consisted  of  alternate  rectangular  and 
round  piers,  as  at  S.  Nazaire,  Carcassonne  ;  the  former 
with  three  engaged  columns  and  a  pilaster  towards  the 
aisles,  which  had  quadripartite  vaults.  The  lofty 
arcades  of  the  gallery  went  all  round  the  nave  ;  there 
were  seven  arches  on  each  side.  The  windows  were 
round-headed,  and  there  were  oculi  in  various  places. 
On  the  wall  opposite  the  apse  are  still  remains  of 
fourteenth  or  fifteenth  century  colouring,  as  well  as 
on  the  little  windows  of  the  choir  vault,  and  on  the 
east  side  of  one  of  the  towers.  The  windows  were  all 
broken  in  1577.  The  springing  of  the  nave  vault 
remains,  showing  that  it  was  semicircular  waggon, 
with  supporting  arches.  Details  in  the  apse  especially 
suggest  classical  work,  but  the  carving  of  the  caps 
is  twelfth-century,  and  the  eastern  excrescence  has 
trefoil-headed  panels.  The  door  of  entrance  is  also 
of  this  date,  and  the  chequers  and  ball  mouldings  of 
the  rose  and  other  windows  point  to  the  same,  though 
there  are  also  details  which  are  much  later  ;  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  interlacing  patterns  occur  which  might 
almost  be  ninth-century.  There  is  a  curious  obliquity 
in  some  of  the  nave  piers,  the  lines  not  running  through 
perpendicularly. 

In  the  exterior  of  the  apse  columns  at  the  angles  act 
as  buttresses  ;  the  caps  are  imitated  from  the  Corinthian, 
and  the  ornamented  cornice  projects  above  each,  as  in 
the  antique  frieze  and  cornice.  At  S.  Jacques,  Beziers, 
the  same  arrangement  is  adopted.     The  upper  portion 


THE   LATER   CHURCH  217 

of  the  walls  was  a  good  deal  ornamented,  and  there 
are  carvings  of  creatures  above  the  principal  door, 
which  was  in  the  southern  fa9ade.  The  mouldings  had 
enrichments  added  in  stucco. 

The  church  was  probably  built  by  Abbot  Raymond 
after  the  Bull  of  Cahxtus  II.  in  11 19  confirmed  all  the 
property  of  the  abbey,  embodying  certain  remains  of 
an  earlier  building  most  noticeable  in  the  courses  of 
small  stones  in  the  south  wall.  The  quarter-round 
vault  above  the  galleries  was  nearly  as  high  as  the 
nave.  One  of  the  two  bell-towers  was  raised  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  it  was  proposed  to  replace  the 
present  apse  with  a  large  choir,  deambulatory,  and 
chapels,  of  which  only  the  piers  and  the  springing  of  the 
arches  remain,  except  in  the  case  of  the  first  chapel  to 
the  south.  The  chapter-house  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  two  naves  with  pointed  vaults,  terminated  by 
polygonal  chapels,  is  now  a  stable.  It  has  a  round 
arched  door  of  the  twelfth  century,  flanked  by  a  blind 
arch  on  each  side.  On  the  bases  of  the  colonnettes  are 
funerary  inscriptions  of  1270  and  1274. 

The  present  church  has  a  nave  of  three  bays,  with 
side  chapels  and  lofty  transverse  arches  supporting 
a  wooden  roof,  as  at  Lamourguier,  Narbonne.  The 
chancel  is  polygonal,  of  seven  bays,  the  westerly  ones 
being  broader  and  having  side  chapels,  smaller  than 
those  of  the  nave  ;  all  the  chapels  have  quadripartite 
ribbed  vaults  with  bosses.  On  some  of  the  walls  there 
are  traces  of  painting,  and  above  the  nave  arcade  are 

28 


2i8  ALEX 

rose  windows  with  varied  tracery.     The  chancel  steps 

curve  outwards  into  the  nave,  and  the  lofty  porch  and 

door  of   entrance  are  late  fifteenth-century  in  style. 

The  ruins  of  the  abbey  appear  to  continue  beyond  it. 

In  two  places  the  notice  was  stuck  up/'  Defense  d'entrer 
dans  le  chantier,"  a  reminiscence  of  the  restoration, 

but  doors  yielded  to  a  push,  and  no  one  interfered  with 
my  investigations. 

In  the  town  there  are  to  be  seen  sculptured  corbels 
to  wood-framed  houses,  a  thirteenth-century  house 
with  twin  round-headed  windows  and  the  arcades  of 
its  shops  below,  and  an  ancient  gable  built  at  the  end 
of  the  twelfth  century  by  Abbot  Pons  Amelius. 

QUILLAN    TO    PeRPIGNAN. 

From  Quillan  there  is  a  short  line  running  up  the 
Aude  Valley  to  Axat  (which  has  been  already  referred 
to),  from  which  place  it  is  prolonged  down  the  Valley 
of   the   Agly   past   Gaudies,    St.    Paul   de   Fenouillet, 
Estagel,  and  Espira  de  I'Agly  to  Rivesaltes,  and  so  to 
Perpignan.     There  are  a  few  places  along  this  route 
containing  things  worth  mention.     Just  beyond  Axat 
the    scenery   is   particularly   fine  :    deep    ravines    are 
crossed   which   run   up   into   tree-covered   heights   to 
which   one  looks  up   very   steeply.     The   rail   circles 
round  Axat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Valley  of  the  Rebenty, 
giving  varied  groupings  to  the  picturesque  units  which 
make  the  place   attractive.     At   Lapradelle   there   is 


THE   GORGES   OF  THE  AUDE  219 

rather  a  fine  castle  on  a  hill,  and  at  St.  Paul  de  Fenouil- 
let  several  interesting  buildings.  The  tower  of  the 
chapter  is  a  picturesque   building  of   warm-coloured 


GOKGES    OF    THIC    AUDE,    NEAK    AXAT. 


stone  crowned  by  a  small  dome,  Renaissance  in  style. 
The  church  is  not  very  imposing,  though  it  has  a  tower 
which  looks  picturesque  enough  from  a  distance,  with 


220  QUILLAN  TO   PERPIGNAN 

an  ornamental  cage  of  ironwork  crowning  it,  and  two 
bells,  one  smaller  and  one  larger.  The  tower  has  two 
stages,  the  lower  battlemented,  the  upper  with  large 
scooped-out  hollows  and  iron  spikes  on  the  corners. 
It  has  a  large  apse  with  openings  above  a  string-course, 
as  if  for  fortification,  a  small  east  window  and  a  door 
below  it,  above  the  ground  level,  and  now  shut.  The 
door  of  entrance  is  beneath  a  porch  at  the  other  end, 
but  there  is  another  on  the  south  side  now  built  up,  on 
the  same  level  as  the  eastward  one,  a  very  curious 
arrangement.  In  the  south  wall  is  an  inscription  which 
looks  medieval.  The  church  has  a  single  nave  with 
pointed  arched  sinkings  in  the  walls  like  chapels,  three 
bays  with  quadripartite  vaults  and  stronger  arches 
defining  the  bays  and  a  semi-domical  apse  now  filled 
with  a  late  Renaissance  reredos.  The  bosses  and 
cornice  at  the  springing  of  the  vaulting  are  of  the  same 
period,  and  there  are  two  galleries,  one  above  the  other, 
at  the  west  end.  I  remember  similar  galleries  at 
Hendaye,  close  to  the  Spanish  frontier.  Here  and  there 
in  the  town  I  observed  some  very  fine  marbles  used  for 
framing  doors  and  windows  in  quite  unimportant 
buildings,  which  therefore  cannot  be  costly  there. 

The  vintage  was  officially  declared  to  have  finished 
on  October  2,  but  a  lot  of  grapes  were  still  unpicked  in 
the  Agly  Valley  after  that  date,  and  Spanish  vintagers 
were  still  coming  across  the  frontier.  At  Estagel  the 
old  bridge  was  being  repaired  or  taken  down  ;  no  one 
would  suppose  from  the  look  of  the  stream  that  it 


CURIOUS  CARVINGS  221 

could  gather  enough  fury  to  destroy  such  sohd  masonry. 
A  new  bridge  has  been  built  farther  on.  In  the  church 
there  is  a  curious  holy-water  basin  of  white  marble  ;  the 
channelled  foot  supports  a  cap,  with  four  angels'  heads. 
In  the  interior  are  carved  in  relief  two  fishes,  a  shellfish, 
and  an  eel,  and  in  the  centre  a  flower.  Similar  carvings 
occur  at  Villefranche-le-Conflent — S.  James's  shells,  an 
eel,  and  a  fish,  and  two  fishes  facing  each  other.  At  S. 
Paul  Serge,  Narbonne,  at  the  bottom 
of  one  of  the  holy-water  basins,  a  frog 
is  carved  ;  these,  I  suppose,  may  be 
taken  as  little  jokes  of  the  carvers  for 
the  most  part,  though  the  creatures 
are  all  appropriately  inhabitants  of 
water. 

At  Cases  de  Pene  a  ruined  castle 
on  top  of  one  of  the  barren-looking 
hills  forms  an  interesting  object  for 
a  long  time,  continuing  visible  as  the 
line  follows  the  windings  of  the 
valley. 

At  Espira  de  I'Agly  the  church  has 
a  rather  squat  tower  of  yellowish 
stone,  with  an  arcading  of  two,  three, 
and  two  arches  on  the  side,  divided 
by  strings,  the  lowest  the  largest. 
The  uppermost  is  pierced,  the  other 
arcades  are  blind.  This  tower  protected  the  west 
and  north  faces  of  the  church.     There  is  record  of  the 


rr,AN    OF    CHURCH, 
KSPIRA    DK    L'aGLV 


222  QUILLAN   TO   PERPIGNAN 

consecration  of  a  church  here  in  1130,  but  it  appears 
to  have  been  rebuilt  in  1211.  The  plan  is  curious, 
having  two  apses,  a  very  short  choir,  and  a  nave  of  five 
nearly  square  bays.  The  length  is  about  140  feet, 
the  width  between  the  piers  about  27  feet.  The  height 
to  the  vault  is  about  52  feet,  and  to  the  impost  about 
35  feet.  Along  the  wall  longitudinal  arcades  spring 
from  the  engaged  columns  of  the  piers.  On  the  south 
are  five  windows  and  two  oculi,  as  well  as  two  doors, 
the  smaller  of  which  probably  opened  into  the  cloister. 
On  the  east  is  a  high  window.  The  north,  south,  and 
east  fagades  have  facings  of  black  and  white  marble, 
as  has  the  great  door,  which  M.  Brutails  considers  to 
be  one  of  the  finest  in  Roussillon.  It  bears  consider- 
able resemblance  to  that  at  Corneilla-le-Conflent. 

Pyrenees  Orientales. 

On  the  borders  of  the  province,  a  short  distance  from 
the  head  of  the  large  Etang  de  Leucate,  lies  Salses,  the 
ancient  Salsulae,  so  called  from  two  salt  springs  which 
rise  on  the  limestone  slopes  of  Corbieres.  These  are 
known  as  Font  Dama,  which  rises  some  two  kilometres 
from  the  village,  and  Font  Estramer,  a  little  farther 
to  the  north.  In  medieval  documents  this  latter  is 
frequently  mentioned  as  Font  Estramera,  and  in  an 
Act  of  1095  as  Fons  Extrema  {i.e.,  on  the  edge  of  Rous- 
sillon). The  waters  of  the  spring  form  a  large  pond, 
and  then  flow  to  the  Etang  by  a  broad  canal.     "  Ad 


THE  CASTLE   AT   SALSES  223 

Salsulas  "  appears  in  ancient  topographical  descrip- 
tions among  the  stations  of  the  Via  Domitia,  which 
bound  Spain  to  France,  placed  thirty  miles  from 
Narbonne.  Villa  Salsas  appears  for  the  first  time  in 
951.  The  Church  of  S.  Stephen  was  consecrated  in 
1 1 14,  and  the  original  castle  was  built  in  the  twelfth 
century  to  protect  the  frontier  of  the  Counts  of  Rous- 
sillon  to  the  north.  Village  and  castle  were  razed  to 
the  ground  in  1496,  and  in  the  next  year  a  Spanish 
engineer  named  Ramirez  constructed  the  existing  fort 
on  the  site,  the  village  being  moved  farther  off.  Seen 
from  the  railway,  it  looks  as  if  in  a  perfect  state,  and 
an  example  of  an  interesting  stage  in  the  art  of  fortifi- 
cation. It  has  a  rectangular  plan  with  towers  at  the 
angles  and  bastions  in  advance  of  the  walls — a  work 
of  the  transition  to  preparation  for  cannon.  Till  1866 
it  was  kept  up  as  a  fortress,  but  the  big  cylindrical 
donjon  is  now  used  as  a  powder  magazine.  Its  re- 
building was  intended  to  form  a  defence  for  the  frontier 
of  Aragon.  It  was  taken  in  1639  by  Prince  Henry  II., 
of  Conde,  but  retaken  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  next 
year,  who  held  it  for  three  years.  Vauban  repaired 
it.  Its  last  governor  was  a  nephew  of  Voltaire  (de  la 
Houliere) . 

From  Narbonne  there  was  but  one  principal  Roman 
road  towards  Spain.  At  twenty  miles'  distance  it 
came  to  the  first  station.  Ad  Vigesimum,  of  which 
the  milestone  is  in  the  museum  at  Narbonne.  The 
next   station   is   at    SalsulcB,    at    the   frontier   of    the 


224  PYR^NfiES   ORIENTALES 

Sordones.  From  there  it  went  on  to  Ruscino,  accord- 
ins:  to  the  Theodosian  tablet  ;  but  between  these  two 
places  there  was  a  station  called  Comhusta.  M.  Alart 
placed  this  near  Claira,  on  a  road  bearing  the  name  of 
Cami  del  pou  Cremat  (the  road  of  the  burnt  well). 
He  has  also  found  a  hamlet  called  Calders,  which  has 
disappeared,  in  the  territory  of  Claira.  In  a  charter 
of  loii,  relating  to  the  confirmation  of  privileges  to 
S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  Caldarios  is  mentioned  after  Claira. 
Calders  also  appears  in  charters  of  the  thirteenth 
century  ;  and  at  Claira  there  was  a  family  called 
"  De  Calders,"  whose  name  is  found  in  many  of  the 
charters  of  the  Kings  of  Majorca.  The  idea  is  the  same 
— warm  baths  or  hot  springs.  Ruscino  Latinorum, 
of  Pliny,  continued  at  Ruscellio,  is  so  met  with  in  80 1, 
in  816  as  Rosciliona.  It  was  then  the  chief  political 
centre  of  the  country.  In  the  twelfth  century  it  had 
dwindled  to  a  village  with  a  church,  known  in  the 
ancient  Acts  as  Castrum  Ruscinonense  or  Rossilionense, 
the  name  Roussillon  being  gradually  formed.  The 
tower  of  Castell  Rossello  is  the  remains  of  a  seignorial 
castle  of  the  twelfth  century,  which  was  given  by  the 
owner  to  the  town  of  Perpignan  after  1629.  It  is 
half-way  to  Canet  near  the  mouth  of  the  Tet.  Cabe- 
stany  lies  to  the  right,  the  dwelling  of  the  great 
troubadour  Guillem  de  Cabestanh,  whose  heart  was 
served  up  to  his  lady,  Saurimonde,  by  her  husband, 
Raimond  of  Castell  Rossello. 

After   this  place   the   table   of   Peutinger   and   the 


THE   ROMAN   ROAD  225 

Antonine    itineraries    mention    two    names — Illiberis 
and  Ad  Stahulum.     These  are  the  same,  the  second 
being  only  the  special  name  of  the  station  at  the  foot 
of  the  town  of  Elne,  which  is  situated  on  a  hill.    Beyond 
Illiberis  there  are  no  traces  of  Roman  roads.     The  two 
places  in  the  itineraries  called  Ad  Centuriones  and  Ad 
Centenarium  refer  to  a  station  near  Collioure.     From 
there  the  road  continued  by  the  Valley  of  Banyuls 
to  the  Col  towards  Juncaria,  and  so  towards  Gerona. 
In  the  early  Middle  Ages  there  seems  to  have  been 
another  route  which  went  by  way  of  Espira  de  I'Agly 
and    Le    Boulou  ;     and    when    the    Visigothic    King 
Wamba  marched  against  his  nephew  Paul,  he  divided 
his  army  into  three  corps,  which  are  said  to  have 
crossed  the   Pyrenees  at  three  points — La  Cerdagne 
and  the  two  Roman  roads — so  that  there  was  certainly 
a  tradition  of  the  existence  of  a  second,  though,  no 
doubt,  of  less  importance. 

Perpignan. 

At  Perpignan  the  oval  enclosure  of  the  ramparts 
which  used  to  give  so  individual  a  character  to  the  town 
has  been  demolished  towards  the  railway,  and  on  the 
site  boulevards  laid  out  with  shops  and  cafes,  and 
flats  for  dwellings  above  quite  in  the  regular  French 
fashion.  The  first  time  we  visited  the  place,  it  was  a 
waste  of  brick  fragments  with  roads  and  paths  laid  out, 
with  a  few  small  bridges  over  the  watercourses,  but 

29 


226  PERPIGNAN 

only  dotted  with  buildings  here  and  there.  Of  the 
ancient  fortifications  nothing  survives  except  the 
castillet  and  the  citadel,  the  Palace  of  the  Kings  of 
Majorca.  These  date  from  1270  and  1320,  at  the 
time  when  Perpignan  was  the  capital  of  the  kingdom 
of  Majorca  and  the  home  of  a  splendid  Court.  The 
castillet  has  long  machicolations  and  pointed  arches, 
and  is  of  a  rosy-red  colour,  much  restored,  railed  round, 
and  with  tram-lines  running  close  beside  it.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  realize  the  romantic  events  which  have 
happened  near  to  it.  It  was  being  constructed  in 
1368,  and  was  altered  and  strengthened  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  machicolations  are  of  this  date.  The 
building  is  unique  in  France. 

The  city  lies  in  the  plain  a  few  miles  from  the  Medi- 
terranean, on  the  Rivers  Basse  and  Tet,  not  far  from 
the  site  of  the  ancient  town  of  Ruscino.  The  earliest 
records  of  the  place  date  from  the  tenth  century,  and 
call  it  Villa  Perpiniani,  Villa  de  Perpiniano,  and 
Perpinianum.  In  1025  ^  church  was  consecrated  to 
S.  John  Baptist  (S.  Jean  le  Vieux),  and  from  the 
commencement  of  the  eleventh  century  the  town  was 
the  habitual  residence  of  the  Counts  of  Roussillon.  In 
1 172  Count  Guinard  died  childless,  and  left  it  with  the 
rest  of  his  domains  to  the  King  of  Aragon.  In  1197 
Pedro  II.,  of  Aragon,  conceded  to  the  citizens  the 
right  of  electing  their  five  consuls,  and  of  avenging 
injuries  received  by  the  Commune.  The  definition  of 
a  citizen  was  a  man  born  in  Perpignan  of  parents 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  227 

domiciled  there,  and  exercising  some  profession  or 
calling.  Thus  nobles  and  clerks  were  excluded  and 
considered  as  strangers.  It  was  raised  to  the  rank  of 
capital  city  during  the  continuance  of  the  kingdom  of 
Majorca.  James  I.  (El  Conquistador)  designated  his 
son  as  his  heir  to  this  kingdom,  and  the  two  counties 
after  1262  ;  and  on  his  death,  in  1276,  Roussillon  and 
Barcelona  were  separated  from  the  kingdom  of  Aragon. 
A  University  was  founded  at  Perpignan  in  1349,  and 
a  Consulate  of  the  Sea  in  1387,  which  was  housed  in 
La  Loge.  When  Louis  XL  occupied  Roussillon  in 
1462,  and  thirteen  years  later  took  the  capital,  the 
prosperity  which  had  smiled  on  the  town  for  two 
centuries  vanished  for  ever.  In  1493,  Charles  VIII. 
returned  the  province  to  Aragon.  Next  year  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  came  to  Perpignan.  The  Jews  were 
expelled,  and  the  Inquisition  established,  with  the 
usual  result  of  entirely  destroying  its  prosperity.  The 
castle  was  transformed  into  a  citadel  in  1552.  The 
last  strong  enceinte  was  due  to  Philip  IL,  to  which 
Vauban  added  a  few  bastions  and  demi-lunes  after 
Perpignan  became  French  by  the  treaty  of  the 
Pyrenees  in  1659.  The  Bishopric  of  Elne  had  been 
transferred  thither  in  1602  by  a  Pontifical  decision, 
but  after  the  seventeenth  century  it  was  of  impor- 
tance only  as  a  fortress. 

The  old  church,  S.  Jean  le  Vieux,  was  of  the  eleventh 
century,  and  some  remains  of  it  still  exist  on  the  north 
flank  of  the  present  church,  with  an  arch  with  decorated 


228  PERPIGNAN 

mouldings  finishing  the  nave,  and  a  waggon-vault — a 
fine  lofty  building.  It  is  used  as  a  storage  place  for 
church  properties,  but  the  sacristan  made  no  difficulty 
about  taking  me  in,  though  he  would  not  accept  any 
fee.  In  the  north  wall  is  a  pointed  arch  of  two  orders 
unmoulded.  A  door  on  the  south  side  of  a  rather  later 
date,  with  figures  applied  to  the  jambs,  also  belonged 
to  this  building  ;  but  the  central  pier  has  vanished, 
and  the  figure  of  Christ  blessing,  which  probably  once 
crowned  it,  M.  Brutail  says,  is  encrusted  in  one  of  the 
walls  of  the  tower  above  the  choir.  The  sacristan  told 
me  it  was  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Devot  Crucifix,  but 
I  was  not  successful  in  finding  it  on  any  of  my  visits. 
Till  the  fourteenth  century  this  was  the  only  parish 
church.  The  Commune  had  no  consular  house,  and 
meetings  and  communal  elections  were  held  in  the 
church.  The  Kings  of  Majorca  swore  the  privileges  of 
the  town  on  its  altar,  and  it  was  in  its  cemetery  that 
the  people  were  convoked  "  in  public  parliament  " 
on  the  nth  of  the  Kalends  of  October,  1302.  It  was 
thus  the  centre  of  communal  life.  From  1231  the 
Bishops  of  Elne  were  chaplains  of  S.  Jean,  and  the 
rebuilding  was  decided  on  by  the  Consuls  and  Bishops 
in  consultation.  A  mortuary  inscription,  now  en- 
crusted, on  the  right  side  of  a  small  door  of  the  cathe- 
dral, says  that  G.  Jorda  (f  1302)  commenced  the  work 
of  the  cloister.  This  is  the  cemetery  referred  to  above, 
of  which  only  three  galleries  remain.  The  first  docu- 
ment connected  with  the  rebuilding  of  the  church  is 


PROGRESS   OF  THE  CATHEDRAL  229 

a  charter  of  June  6,  132 1,  by  which  the  Bishop  Berenger 
Batlle  organized  the  workshops,  and  provided  resources 
for  them.  Two  inscriptions  indicate  the  placing  of  the 
first  stone  by  King  Sancho  of  Majorca,  and  Bishop 
Berenger  in  1324.  In  1340  the  Chapel  of  the  Virgin 
was  commenced  which  occupies  the  south  apse.  The 
chapels  were  due  to  bourgeois  families  for  the  most 
part,  for  the  nobles  preferred  the  other  churches  of 
the  town,  as  being  outside  municipal  jurisdiction. 
The  houses  which  stood  on  part  of  the  site  were  not 
all  cleared  away  in  1333,  and  for  more  than  a  century 
the  progress  of  the  work  is  only  to  be  traced  by  the 
constant  appeals  of  the  Bishops  for  funds.  In  1415 
the  master  of  the  work  was  a  Catalan — Guillaume 
Sagrera.  In  143 1  the  walls  of  the  nave  and  chapels 
had  reached  the  springing  of  the  vaults.  An  inscrip- 
tion of  1433  ascribes  the  construction  of  the  vaults  to 
Galcerand,  Bishop  of  Elne  at  that  time,  and  to  the 
clergy  and  Consuls.  In  1453  the  Bishop  celebrated 
Mass,  and  in  1499  ordinations  were  held  in  it.  The 
arms  of  Brittany  quartered  with  France  appearing 
on  one  of  the  four  shields  above  the  high-altar,  which 
indicate  Charles  VIII.  and  Anne  of  Brittany,  suggest 
the  completion  of  the  vaulting  about  1490.  It  was 
apparently  used  regularly  for  worship  in  1504,  but  the 
consecration  took  place  in  1509,  185  years  after  the 
placing  of  the  first  stone.  The  Chapter  only  took 
possession  of  it  (jn  June  9,  1510. 

It    is    a   spacious  building,  with    a   broad   nave    of 


230  PERPIGNAN 

seven  bays,  flanked  by  chapels,  a  transept  and 
polygonal  apses  opening  eastwards  from  it — the  plan 
of  many  Languedocian  churches.  The  height  is  nearly 
90  feet,  the  length  nearly  260  feet,  the  breadth  of  the 

nave  about  60  feet, 
and  that  of  the  apse 
52  feet  ;  for  the 
arches  across  the 
transept  converge, 
giving  a  perspective 
effect  of  greater  dis- 
tance than  really 
exists.  The  vaulting 
ribs  have  prismatic 
mouldings,  and  large 
bosses  coloured  and 
gilded,  and  the  win- 
dow mouldings,  etc., 
are  flamboyant.  The 
retable  of  the  high- 
altar  is  of  white 
marble.  It  was 
commenced  in  1573. 
In  1624  the  work 
stopped,  and  the 
summit  was  finished  in  wood.  It  is  the  work  of  a 
Barcelonese  sculptor  named  Soler,  and  is  quite  Spanish 
in  style. 

The  retable  of  the  south  apse  includes  three  prettily 


PLAN    OF    CATHEDRAL,    PERPIGNAN. 


INTERIOR   OF   THE  CATHEDRAL  231 

painted  panels  ;  that  of  the  north  apse  is  of  wood, 
carved  and  painted,  enclosing  a  more  ancient  Madonna. 
In  the  north  transept  is  one  of  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  that  in  the  south  has  httle  pictures  in 
place  of  the  usual  rehefs.  The  organ  was  put  in  its 
place  in  1506,  but  bears  the  date  1504.  The  great 
painted  shutters  which  belonged  to  it  are  now  in  the 
south  chapel,  into  which  the  Porte  de  Bethlehem  opens. 
The  font  is  like  a  cask  with  a  rope  round  it  squeezing 
the  wood  inwards,  carved  in  marble ;  on  the  rim  is 
an  inscription  in  leonine  verses,  in  which  letters  similar 
to  those  used  at  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  occur. 
A  tomb  of  a  Bishop  of  Elne  of  1695  still  retains  a 
traditional  medieval  form.  Four  lions  support  a  slab 
upon  which  the  effigy  is  carved  in  rehef.  Outside 
the  Porte  de  Bethlehem  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Devot 
Crucifix,  built  in  1535- 1543  to  house  an  extraordin- 
arily realistic  figure  of  Our  Lord  carved  in  1529.  On 
the  evening  of  Holy  Thursday  the  Cure  of  the  Collegiale, 
followed  by  the  Chapter  and  the  clergy,  washes  its  feet, 
knees,  and  side  with  sponges  of  scented  water,  which 
are  afterwards  distributed  to  the  clergy  and  to  the 
faithful.  The  chapel  has  a  pointed  waggon-vault, 
with  supporting  arches,  between  the  springing  of  which 
segmental  arches  run  along  the  walls.  These  are 
painted  with  a  procession  of  figures  on  each  side, 
part  of  the  modern  decoration.  The  chapel  also  con- 
tains other  pieces  of  carving,  etc.,  dating  from  the 
fifteenth  to  the  eighteenth  century. 


232  PERPIGNAN 

The  treasury  used  to  contain  an  ancient  wooden 
Byzantine  coffret.  On  making  inquiry  for  it,  we  were 
told  that  since  the  making  of  the  inventories  of  church 
property  there  was  nothing  preserved  in  the  treasury. 
In  other  places  in  France  we  have  been  told  much  the 
same,  and  the  reports  of  the  disappearance  of  ecclesi- 
astical goldsmiths'  work,  and  other  valuable  objects 
which  have  appeared  in  the  papers  at  intervals,  suggest 
that  the  French  authorities  have  perhaps  not  gone  the 
best  way  to  ensure  the  safety  of  some  of  their  historical 
art  treasures. 

The  south-west  tower  has  an  ornamental  cage  of 
ironwork,  in  which  is  suspended  a  bell  of  1418.  The 
ironwork  is  very  good,  and  dates  from  1743.  The 
other  churches  are  not  very  remarkable.  S.  Jacques 
has  a  high  tower  of  brick,  bearing  at  the  top  four  little 
domical  towers,  work  of  the  fifteenth  century.  It  is 
said  to  have  a  picture  of  the  same  period  within,  in 
the  Chapel  of  Notre  Dame  de  I'Esperance,  which  came 
from  the  Chapel  of  La  Loge.  It  shows  the  Trinity 
surrounded  by  prophets,  on  a  gold  ground,  and  in  the 
background  the  eastern  half  of  La  Loge,  all  that  existed 
at  that  date,  but  I  could  not  find  it.  In  a  side  chapel, 
however,  is  a  fine  carved  and  gilded  altar-piece  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  concerned  chiefly  with  Madonna. 
The  canopies  have  excellent  flamboyant  pierced  work. 
It  is  Spanish  in  feeling  and  in  the  shape  of  the  en- 
closing lines,  as  might  be  expected. 

There  was  a  service  in  the  afternoon,  to  which  little 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  233 

girls  dressed  in  white,  and  with  crowns  of  white 
artificial  flowers,  were  going,  sometimes  alone,  some- 
times accompanied  by  their  friends,  I  suppose  connected 
with  their  first  communion. 

S.  Maria  la  Real  was  devastated  at  the  Revolution. 
It  is  a  fourteenth-century  building  of  the  usual  Langue- 
docian  type,  but  with  the  peculiarity  of  a  high-altar 
at  the  west  as  well  as  the  east  end.  It  resembles 
S.  Jacques  in  plan,  the  same  broad,  vaulted  nave  and 
side  chapels  opening  into  it  with  pointed  arches, 
and  the  same  extravagant  reredoses  coloured  and 
gilded. 

The  Carmelite  church,  founded  in  1268,  has  been 
made  into  an  arsenal.  The  cloister  (i333-i342)  has 
been  re-erected  in  the  park  of  Villemartin. 

La  Loge  was  built  by  Martin  of  Aragon  in  1397 
for  a  Bourse  de  Commerce  ;  but  not  finished  till  1540, 
as  an  inscription  on  the  last  stone  states.  It  is  now 
a  cafe.  The  great  hall  on  the  ground  floor  has  six- 
immense  pointed  windows,  the  archivolts  of  which  rest 
on  brackets  with  heads  of  animals.  The  Consulat 
du  Mer  (estabhshed  in  1388),  the  Archives  and  the 
Record  Office,  were  housed  on  the  first  floor,  hghted  by 
five  groups  of  windows,  united  by  a  cordon  to  the 
arcades,  with  flamboyant  mullions  repeating  the  first 
arcade,  and  piers  surmounted  by  channelled  pinnacles. 
At  the  angle  is  a  very  curious  weathercock  representing 
a  sixteenth-century  ship  in  full  sail.  Between  La  Loge 
and  the  Palace  of  the  Deputation  or  Tribunal  is  the 

30 


234  PERPIGNAN 

Mairie,  rebuilt  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  Tribunal  has  an  interior  court  with  pretty  windows, 
two  lights  on  very  slender  colonnettes,  with  trefoil 
heads  cut  out  of  lintel  blocks.  It  was  built  in  1448 
for  the  local  deputation,  an  assembly  named  by  the 
Cortes  of  Catalonia.  After  Roussillon  was  united  to 
France  it  was  used  by  the  Council  of  the  Province. 
The  interior  has  been  entirely  recast,  but  on  the 
north  fagade  there  are  still  three  graceful  three-light 
windows  on  the  first  floor,  with  trefoil  ogival  heads, 
the  slender,  hard  stone  colonnettes  of  which  look 
almost  as  if  they  had  been  cast.  It  was  restored  in  the 
last  century.  The  cornice  of  La  Loge  is  modern,  and 
has  been  raised  several  courses  above  the  windows, 
damaging  the  proportions. 

Of  the  houses  built  in  Perpignan  in  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries  only  one  remains — the 
Maison  Juha.  The  round  arch  of  the  door  has  the  long 
voussoirs  which  one  sees  in  Spain,  here  alternately 
red  and  white.  The  galleried  courtyard  has  fiat  arches 
below,  two  of  which,  unmeddled  with,  rest  on  a  strong 
encorbelment.  Those  of  the  upper  gallery  have  delicate 
coupled  colonnettes  with  geometrical  caps,  graceful 
in  proportion  and  well  executed.  In  a  round- arched 
niche  was  a  painted  bust  of  S.  John  Baptist,  which 
appeared  to  be  contemporary  with  the  house.  The 
most  sumptuous  house  is  that  in  the  Rue  Main  de  Fer, 
built  by  a  rich  merchant  of  the  town,  Bernard  Xanxo, 
about  15 15,  in  the  latest  Gothic  style.     The   carved 


FINE   MEDIEVAL   HOUSES  235 

portions  are  of  a  fine  stone-like  marble,  the  fagade 
principally  brick  with  bossed  pilasters.  On  the  first 
floor  are  three  large  mullioned  windows,  below  which 
runs  a  frieze,  the  subject  of  which  may  be  termed 
"  free."  On  the  ground  floor  is  a  round-arched  door 
with  long  voussoirs,  and  in  the  vestibule  are  two  more 
of  red  marble.  The  rez-de-chaussee  is  vaulted  with  ribs. 
It  is  now  a  freemasons'  lodge,  and  the  patio  has  been 
rebuilt.  There  are  a  few  other  houses  which  are 
noticeable.  The  old  Hotel  d'Ortaffa  is  decorated  with 
pottery,  and  has  a  well-head  with  Gothic  mouldings. 
In  the  Rue  Fabrique-de-na-Aboth  is  a  seventeenth- 
century  house  with  fine  faiences  in  its  patio,  repre- 
senting, among  figures  of  saints  and  arabesques,  a 
criminal  miraculously  saved  from  the  scaffold  by 
S.  Francis  Xavier,  and  an  extraordinary  coat  of  arms. 
I  have  not  seen  this  myself.  Of  the  primitive  castle 
where  the  Kings  and  Queens  of  Aragon  and  Majorca 
resided,  practically  nothing  remains.  The  chapel  is 
now  an  arsenal  and  powder  magazine.  It  has  two 
stories.  The  door  of  the  upper  one  is  rather  Oriental 
in  appearance,  with  red  and  white  marble  in  alternate 
bands.  In  the  jambs  six  slender  colonnettes  support 
simple  broad  voussoirs,  the  caps,  once  painted,  repre- 
senting dragons  in  different  positions.  A  great  torus 
moulding,  three  times  repeated,  surrounds  the  arch. 
On  one  side  is  a  little  door  of  Arab  style.  It  was  used 
for  service  in  1291. 

On  our  first  visit  to  Perpignan  we  chanced  on  a 


236  PERPIGNAN 

solemn  service  in  the  catliedral.  It  was  a  funeral 
Mass,  celebrated  for  a  soldier  killed  in  Morocco,  whose 
body  had  been  brought  home  by  a  cruiser.  Opposite 
the  chapel  where  Mass  was  said  was  a  large  enclosure 
with  music  stands  to  accommodate  an  orchestra  of 
forty  or  fifty  performers,  among  whom  were  several 
ladies.  The  organ  was  played  softly  and  in  tune  ; 
the  priest  had  a  fine  voice,  and  the  lofty  nave,  with  its 
sombre  splendour  of  glass,  colour,  and  gilding,  added 
to  the  impressiveness  of  the  service,  giving  it  an 
appropriate  setting.  The  wind  and  string  instruments 
of  the  orchestra  played  solemn  music  while  the  con- 
cluding ceremony  went  forward,  which  consisted  in  the 
whole  number  of  those  assisting  lighting  tapers  one  by 
one,  and  carrying  them  to  the  chapel  rails,  where  they 
kissed  a  cross  embroidered  on  the  end  of  a  stole,  blew 
out  the  taper,  and  put  it  in  a  bag  which  an  acolyte  held. 
Among  the  mourners  was  a  girl  not  more  than  twelve 
years  old,  and  several  of  the  taper-bearers  were  boys. 
We  noticed  that  very  few  of  the  men  took  holy  water 
as  they  came  out.  The  coffin-bearers,  with  their 
shiny  top-hats  (which  they  did  not  take  off),  looked 
very  strange  to  our  unaccustomed  eyes. 

The  country  is  charming  round  Perpignan,  the  chain 
of  the  Alberes  and  Mont  Canigou  forming  a  beautiful 
background  to  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  plain. 
The  vines  were  growing  fast,  roses  coming  into  blossom, 
great  bushes  of  cytisus  9  or  10  feet  high,  and  the  pale 
reddish  plumes  of  the  tamarisk  contrasting  with  the 


CONTRASTS   OF   WEATHER  237 

fresh  green  of  the  vegetation  and  with  the  dark  rich 
soil.  A  house  on  the  way  from  the  station  dehghted 
us  especially,  entirely  covered  as  it  was  with  a  giant 
wistaria  in  full  blossom,  mingled  with  white  and  yellow 
Banksian  roses.  This  time  the  weather  was  delightful. 
As  we  returned  in  the  evening  from  Elne,  nightingales 
were  singing  in  the  trees  by  the  side  of  the  line  so  loudly 
that  the  rattle  of  the  train  did  not  drown  their  song. 
The  evening  glow  was  beautiful,  and  the  mountains 
stood  out  against  the  orange  sky  a  palish  neutral  blue, 
neither  purple  nor  green.  As  we  neared  Perpignan, 
the  smoke  from  the  engines  hung  almost  like  a  mist,  and 
the  glow  tangled  in  it  suffused  the  whole  with  a  warm 
purplish  tone.  It  is  not  safe,  however,  to  count  on 
such  weather.  The  north  wind  can  blow  bitterly,  and 
on  more  than  one  occasion  I  have  suffered  from  its 
inclemency. 

Nor  is  it  -only  in  the  spring  that  such  winds  occur. 
My  last  visit  to  Perpignan  was  paid  in  the  month  of 
October.     The  first  night  I  slept  there  I  was  badly 
bitten   by   mosquitoes.     Four   days   later   the   mistral 
blew,   and   I   repeated  my  uncomfortable  spring  ex- 
periences   at    Elne.      The    hotel-keeper,    who   was    a 
Parisian,  expatiated  on  the  misery  produced  by  this 
wind,   which  he   called  the   "  plague   of  the   South." 
One  wondered  rather  where  the  cold  came  from,  for 
there  was  scarcely  any  snow  left,  even  on  the  higher 
summits  ;  but  the  quality  of  the  wind,  which  is  the 
nerve-racking  part  of  it,  the  Englishman  is  too  \\cll 


238  PERPIGNAN 

acquainted    with   in    the    north  -  easter    of    his    own 

land. 

From  Perpignan  it  is  only  about  twenty-six  miles  to 
the  Spanish  frontier.  The  railway  passes  by  Elne 
(the  ancient  Illiberis),  Palau-del-Vidre,  Argeles-sur-Mer, 
and  Collioure  (the  ancient  Cauco  Illiberis,  now  a  small 
fishing  town),  with  an  old  castle  and  a  sixteenth-century 
fort.  Beyond  this  is  Port  Vendres,  the  Portus  Veneris 
of  the  Romans,  with  a  fine  roadstead  of  40  feet  depth, 
and  Banyuls-sur-Mer,  where  there  is  a  little  Roman- 
esque church  with  moulded  door  and  two  arched 
openings  for  bells  in  the  wall  above.  This  latter  part 
of  the  route  is  mainly  composed  of  tunnels,  with  fine 
glimpses  of  bays  between. 

The  Priory  of  Serrabona. 

We  were  making  inquiries  in  the  cafe  at  Perpignan 
as  to  the  possibility  of  getting  a  carriage  at  Boule- 
ternere  to  take  us  up  to  the  Priory  of  Serrabona,  and 
were  told  we  should  have  to  go  on  foot,  as  the  carriages 
did  not  go  up  from  Perpignan  till  June  i.  One  waiter, 
looking  at  my  white  hairs,  said  that  we  couldn't  do  it, 
while  the  other  held  the  flattering  opinion  that  I  could 
do  it  as  well  as  he  could.  I  remarked  that  some  days 
before  I  had  walked  from  St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges 
down  to  Montrejeau  in  a  little  over  an  hour,  upon  which 
the  first  said  :  "  Then  you  must  be  English  !"  En- 
couraged by  this  opinion,  we  started  off  by  an  early 


A  PRIMITIVE   HOTEL  239 

train  for  Bouleternere.     On  reaching  it  we  thought  we 
might  as  well  get  our  eating  done  quickly,  so  as  to  have 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  free,  but  though  there  was  a 
cafe  which  looked  as  if  it  could  provide  for  thirty  or 
forty  people  at  once,  we  found  that  it  did  not  assume 
the  functions  of  a  restaurant.     We  walked  through  the 
village  without  seeing  any  indication  of  inn  or  res- 
taurant, and  at  the  other  end  came  upon  a  kind  of 
general  shop,  in  front  of  which  two  men  were  seated 
on  a  bench.     I  addressed  the  one  who  seemed  more 
important,  entreating  him  to  point  out  to  us  a  place 
where  we  might  obtain  something  to  eat,   and  also 
explaining  our  object  in  visiting  the  place.     He  rose 
to  his  feet,  waved  his  hand  towards  the  other  man,  and 
said  :   "  This  is  my  cousin."     We  acknowledged  the 
introduction,   and  he  then  dehvered  us  over  to  his 
guidance,  who  led  us  to  a  house  without  anything  to 
mark  it   as  different  from  its  neighbours,   which  he 
assured  us  was  an  hotel.     Under  his  encouragement 
we  ascended  four  or  five  steps  to  a  door  well  within  the 
wall,  for  we  should  certainly  never  have  dreamed  of 
expecting  to  find  entertainment  there.     The  woman  of 
the  house,  however,  invited  us  to  enter,  and,  bringing 
something  from  each  of  the  five  doors  which  opened 
into  the  room,  provided  us  with  an  omelette,  cheese, 
biscuits,  onions,  bread,  and  wine  of  the  country.     The 
plates  were  produced  from  a  card-table,  and  she  dis- 
appeared several  times,  producing  some  fresh  delicacy 
each  time  she  returned,  which  I  fancy  she  had  been  to 


240  THE   PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA 

the  general  shop  for.  She  spoke  Catalan  by  preference, 
so  we  had  some  difficulty  in  communicating,  but  we 
parted  on  the  best  of  terms,  and  she  pressed  a  large 
bottle  of  wine  upon  us  to  refresh  us  on  our  drive.  We 
found  that  we  could  not  start  until  after  twelve  o'clock, 
as  the  horse  was  at  work  in  the  fields,  and  would  not 
return  till  that  hour,  so  we  spent  some  time  in  looking 
about  the  very  quaint  little  place.  It  was  Friday,  and 
a  woman  who  had  a  basket  full  of  small  fish  was  doing 
a  flourishing  trade  below  the  ramparts  of  the  medieval 
castle,  of  which  one  tower  remains,  with  a  battlemented 
wall  pierced  by  a  round-arched  gateway.  The  village 
lies  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  with  a  church  at  the  top. 
This  has  a  vaulted  roof  with  ribs,  late  thirteenth  or 
fourteenth  century,  and  elaborate  retahlos  in  the 
Spanish  taste.  The  ancient  doorway  is  now  in  the 
garden  of  the  presbytery.  At  the  other  side  of  the 
village  another  tower  stands,  near  the  long  bridge 
which  crosses  the  Boules,  a  stream  which  descends 
from  the  summits  of  Batere  and  the  Pic  d'Estelle,  and 
is  dangerous  when  in  flood.  Of  the  necessity  for  its 
length  we  had  evidence  higher  up  the  valley,  where 
the  violence  of  the  torrent  had  swept  away  bridge  or 
roadway. 

The  medieval  name  was  Bula-terranera,  and  the 
fertile,  well-irrigated  soil  still  shows  by  its  colour  the 
origin  of  the  name.  It  once  belonged  to  Le  Conflent, 
and  was  always  under  the  same  lords  as  Ille,  a  little 
lower  down  the  Valley  of  the  Tet.     The  fortifications 


A  RUGGED   ROAD  241 

have  seen  some  service,  for  in  1542  the  village  success- 
fully resisted  an  attack  of  the  army  of  the  Dauphin, 
who  was  besieging  Perpignan. 

When  the  horse  had  been  fed  and  rubbed  down,  we 
started  for  Serrabona,  which  is  some  six  miles  up  the 
valley  in  the  Commune  of  Boule  d'Amont.    We  took  a 
boy  with  us  as  guide,  for  the  priory  lies  high  up  the 
mountain-side,  and  is  invisible   from  the  road.     The 
scenery  in  the  valley  is  very  fine,  and  the  variety  of 
plants  considerable.    We  noticed  among  others — olive, 
ancient  junipers  and  ilex,  mullein,  cistus  of  several 
kinds,  an  unusual  lavender,  red  peas,  navelwort,  several 
kinds  of  sage,  etc.,  and  the  air  was  frequently  aromatic 
with  their  scent.  The  road  at  first  hugged  the  mountain- 
side, with  the  river  in  pools  and  rushing  streams  amid 
grey  stones  far  below.     One  bridge  had  been  washed 
away,  and  we  had  to  descend  to  the  bottom  and  ford 
the  stream.     In  two  or  three  places  the  road  had  been 
either  washed  away  and  mended  roughly,  or  carried 
over  humps  of  debris  not  yet  cleared  away,  so  that  the 
drive  was  not  without  excitement.     As  we  proceeded 
farther  up  the  valley  it  broadened  out,  and  the  road 
ran  along  the  bottom,  so  that  when  our  guide  said  it 
was  time  to  get  out  and  ascend  the  mountain-side,  our 
driver  unharnessed  his  horse  and  prepared  to  spend  a 
quiet  hour  or  so  doing  nothing  comfortably.     As  a 
matter  of  fact  he  told  us  when  we  returned  that  he 
had  been  over  to  a  house  which  was  in  sight,  and  stayed 
there  for  as  much  as  an  hour  when  he  got  tired  of 

31 


242  THE  PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA 

solitude,  nor  did  he  refuse  refreshment.  We  went 
nearly  straight  up  the  hillside  for  half  an  hour  or  so 
before  we  reached  the  buildings,  passing  some  Spanish 
charcoal-burners  who  were  working  among  the  scrub. 
We  met  a  detachment  of  them  on  the  road  back,  who 
had  plainly  been  to  the  town  to  buy  provisions,  for 
one  of  them  carried  an  enormous  round  loaf  over  his 
shoulder  spiked  upon  a  stick. 

There  seemed  some  doubt  whether  we  should  find 
the  key  of  the  church  at  the  farm,  or  whether  it  would 
be  an  hour  away,  and  it  was  a  great  relief  to  be  told 
that  it  was  available.  The  old  fellow  who  lived  there 
apparently  bred  goats,  for  he  showed  us  a  flock  of 
twenty-three  kids,  which  he  had  sold  to  the  father  of 
our  little  guide.  He  was  at  first  very  nervous  about 
his  responsibility,  and  told  the  boy  he  wouldn't  keep 
the  key  any  more,  but  quieted  down  under  my  assur- 
ance that  no  harm  would  be  done  to  the  building  or  any 
of  its  contents,  and  the  production  of  the  authorization 
from  the  Minister  of  Fine  Arts  ;  and  when  he  found 
that  responsibility  meant  acquiring  small  douceurs,  he 
became  quite  friendly,  shook  hands,  and  wanted  us  to 
drink  with  him  !  This  we  thought  it  wise  to  decline, 
having  no  information  as  to  the  quality  of  the  liquor. 

The  structures  have  been  a  good  deal  deformed  by 
their  conversion  into  farm  buildings,  and  the  approach 
is  through  a  portion  of  the  farm  and  a  stackyard.  The 
exterior  is  bare  and  savage,  and  almost  entirely  without 
decoration  except  on  the  south  side,  where  there  are 


.^  _:  j] 


j« 


« 


EXTERNAL    ARCHES,    PRIORY    OF   SERRABONA. 


244  THE  PRIORY  OF  SERRABONA 

traces  of  something  like  a  cloister  high  above  the 
ground,  though  there  is  no  sign  of  roof  on  the  wall 
west  of  this  space,  nor  of  any  projection  from  the 
transept  wall.  Here,  at  each  end  of  the  group,  is  a 
large  unmoulded  arch,  with  impost  and  two  groups  of 
three  arches,  with  a  pier  between,  rising  to  the  height 
of  the  crown  of  the  big  arches.  The  small  arches  have 
two  orders,  the  outside  one  being  stop-chamfered  with 
a  hollow.  They  originally  rested  on  twin  colonnettes, 
with  a  decided  entasis,  of  a  marble  which  has  weathered 
to  a  beautiful  golden-yellow  ;  the  bases  have  claws,  and 
the  caps  are  finely  carved.  When  these  openings  were 
filled  up,  the  inner  colonnettes  were  used  to  decorate 
the  interior  of  the  apse.  Above  these  arches  is  a 
bracketed  cornice,  and  there  are  marks  of  a  sloping 
roof  above  the  westward  large  arch.  The  ground  falls 
precipitously  almost  from  the  foot  of  the  walls,  and 
there  is  no  room  for  a  cloister  of  the  usual  design.  The 
space  within  can  only  be  entered  from  the  transept, 
but  has  been  altered  in  its  arrangement.  It  may  have 
communicated  with  the  inhabited  portion  of  the  priory, 
of  which  there  are  remains  to  the  westward.  Many 
Spanish  Romanesque  churches  have  such  external 
arcading.  The  apse  has  a  bracketed  cornice,  with 
stones  set  angle-wise  between  two  shallow  courses,  and 
a  hollow  to  finish  beneath  the  tiles.  The  nave, 
transepts,  and  bell-tower  terminate  in  low  gables, 
rising  well  above  the  tiles.  The  tower  is  to  the  north- 
west of  the  original  fagade,   and  has  square-headed 


THE   NARTHEX  245 

window  openings.  The  narthex  appears  to  have  been 
squeezed  in  between  the  church  and  the  tower.  A 
burial-ground  occupies  the  space  to  the  north. 

The  church  is  entered  through  a  round-arched  door 
in  the  north  wall  of  the  narthex,  enriched  with  mould- 
ings, of  which  the  most  important  one  bears  a 
chequered  decoration,  and  with  shafts  in  the  jambs 
and  carved  caps.  Upon  the  door  is  a  line  iron  bolt  and 
ring  of  a  rather  early  type  of 
design.  The  narthex  has  been 
added  without  removing  previous 
building,  and  the  north  wall  of 
the  nave  continues  across  it  on 
two  great  arches  with  imposts, 
quite  irrespective  of  the  carved 
and  vaulted  portion.  One  of 
these  gives  entrance  to  a  west- 
ward passage.  The  curious  ir- 
regularity of  the  juncture  of  the 
twelfth-century  narthex  with  the 
older  work  appears  to  be  caused 
by  the  desire  to  make  the 
gallery  fill  the  space  above  without  altering  the 
older  wall.  The  outer  arch  of  the  westward  double 
range  is  ornamented  on  the  soffit  with  four-leaved 
rosettes  (also  used  on  some  of  the  abacion  and  a  portion 
of  the  reredos),  a  detail  found  at  Elne,  and  these  are  re- 
peated on  the  western  face  of  the  wall  round  the  arch, 
with  heads  of  monsters  as  a  kind  of  dripstone  termina- 


PLAN    OF    PRIORY    OF 
SERRABONA. 


246  THE   PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA 

tion  a  little  above  the  abaci.  This  suggests  that  at  the 
time  the  narthex  was  built  it  was  external.  On  one 
of  these  caps  is  a  lioness  bearing  considerable  resem- 
blance to  those  on  a  cap  in  the  narthex  at  Moissac. 

The  farm  buildings  against  the  west  end  make  in- 
vestigation very  difficult,  as  there  is  no  light  except 
that  entering  by  the  north  door.  M.  Vidal  says  there 
is  a  fine  doorway  there,  but  inaccessible.  The  plan 
(from  Lenoir's  "  Architecture  Monastique  ")  shows  no 
westward  door,  nor  does  it  give  the  curious  irregularities. 
The  narthex  proper,  which  supports  the  gallery  above, 
consists  of  six  quadripartite  vaults,  each  about  six  feet 
square,  resting  upon  colonnettes  of  red  Pyrenean  marble. 
The  western  range  has  a  pier  at  each  end  and  two  pairs 
of  colonnettes  within,  which  support  three  twin  un- 
moulded  arches  with  a  sinking  between  them.  The 
same  arrangement  is  used  in  the  two  arches  on  the 
north  side  ;  those  on  the  south  side  are  walled  up. 
The  rest  of  the  colonnettes  are  single.  The  main  arches 
are  all  semicircular  and  unmoulded,  the  voussoirs 
being  long  and  shallow,  as  at  Elne.  The  cross-ribs 
are  faced  with  a  roll  6  inches  across,  and  are  separate 
from  the  filling  in,  and  without  any  common  keystone 
at  the  juncture  (again  resembling  Moissac  in  this 
particular),  thus  having  no  constructional  value,  being 
apparently  the  work  of  an  architect  who  desired  to 
follow  the  new  fashion,  but  did  not  understand  it. 
The  bases  have  claws,  and  the  lower  torus  is  much 
larger  than   the  upper.     On  the  caps  are  figures  of 


THE    NARTHEX,    PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA. 


248  THE   PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA 

monsters  face  to  face,  of  lionesses  with  curled  manes 
and  tails  terminating  in  a  fiower-knop,  etc.,  both  in 
arrangement  and  detail  betraying  Oriental  influence. 
The  eyes,  nostrils,  and  corners  of  the  lips  are  worked 
with  the  drill,  and  lead  is  inserted  in  the  iris,  a  treat- 
ment also  found  at  Elne  and  in  other  places  in  Rous- 
sillon.  This  narthex  is  one  of  the  principal  curiosities 
of  Serrabona. 

The  east  wall  of  the  narthex  is  pierced  by  the  west 
door  of  the  church  ;  on  each  side  of  it  is  a  round-arched 
arcade  of  two  arches,  unmoulded  except  for  a  hollow 
ornamented  with  the  same  four-pointed  rosettes  already 
noticed  on  the  abaci.  The  nave  has  a  pointed  barrel- 
vault  without  supporting  arches.  In  the  south  wall 
are  two  narrow-pointed  windows,  high  up,  and  one 
square-headed  ;  on  the  north  side  is  a  later  window. 
Just  inside  the  west  wall  is  a  niche,  and  on  the  walls  are 
remains  of  painting,  among  which  familiar  twelfth- 
century  patterns  may  be  recognized.  From  the  north 
wall,  close  to  the  transept,  a  wheel  of  sixteen  bells 
projects,  of  which  several  are  missing.  The  transepts 
are  a  step  above  the  nave  ;  the  arms  are  covered  with 
waggon-vaults,  and  have  little  apses  eastwards,  only 
marked  on  the  exterior  by  the  windows.  The  arrange- 
ment at  Corneilla-le-Conflent  is  similar,  but  each  arm 
of  the  transept  has  two  apses.  On  the  north  side  the 
apse  is  occupied  by  the  font  ;  above  it  is  a  little  window, 
now  blocked,  and  the  moulding  round  the  springing 
of  the  vault  rises  over  it  as  a  hood-mould.     In  the 


INTERIOR   OF  THE   CHURCH  249 

north  wall  near  is  an  aumbry.  The  south  transept  has 
a  small  window  in  the  south  wall.  In  the  eastward 
apse  is  an  altar,  and  opposite  to  it  a  low  door  into  the 
space  once  lighted  by  the  external  arcade  already 
described,  the  nearer  portion  of  which  was  once  used 
as  a  sacristy,  while  beyond  a  rough  wall  is  a  stable. 
The  transept  arches  have  two  unmoulded  orders,  with 
a  heavy  impost  moulding. 

The  apse  has  the  central  window  blocked,  and  a  late 
one  cut  in  the  south  side.  A  reredos  has  been  set  up 
at  some  time,  composed  of  architectural  fragments 
taken  from  other  parts  of  the  church.  The  abacus 
mouldings  of  the  caps  in  the  lower  range  are  much  more 
elaborate  than  any  others,  but  the  caps  and  colonnettes 
closely  resemble  those  of  the  narthex,  as  well  as  the 
remaining  portion  of  the  arcade.  The  blocked  window 
has  two  caps  of  the  same  kind,  and  shafts  without 
entasis  within  the  arch  openings  ;  at  each  side  is  a 
portion  of  an  arcade  on  a  smaller  scale,  supported  on 
four  colonnettes,  two  having  patterns  in  low-relief 
carved  on  them,  which  also  occur  at  Elne.  The  other 
two  have  moulded  caps  apparently  later  in  date.  The 
wall  surfaces  between  the  carved  portions  have  been 
roughly  painted  to  imitate  coloured  marbles,  and 
modern  French  coloured  religious  figures  added.  The 
altar  and  gradini  are  in  the  style  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  with  the  shape  of  the  three  steps  to  the 
sanctuary  indicate  a  restoration  in  the  late  sixteenth 
or  early  seventeenth  centuries.     At  the  west  end  is  a 

32 


REREDOS,    PRIORY   OF   SERRABONA. 


AN  ANCIENT  PRIORY  251 

gallery  above  the  narthex,  now  reached  by  a  flight  of 
steps  from  the  nave,  which  was  the  monks'  choir,  an 
arrangement  of  Auvergnat  origin,  and  still  existing  at 
Issoire,  St.  Nectaire,  and  Orcival,  as  well  as  in  the 
cathedral  at  Vence,  a  very  early  church.  In  that 
church  the  complete  stalls  of  1455-1460,  with  Bishop's 
throne  in  the  centre,  may  still  be  seen,  and  upon  the 
lectern  of  a  rather  later  date  the  manuscript  book  of 
anthems  lies,  left  as  it  was  after  its  last  use.  At 
Grasse  also  there  was  once  a  similar  choir  of  the  twelfth 
century. 

Serrabona  was  the  most  ancient  priory  of  Augustinian 
Canons  in  the  Diocese  of  Elne  ;  the  Act  of  Foundation  is 
dated  the  fifth  of  the  Nones  of  March,  1082,  and  states 
that  it  is  in  the  Diocese  of  Eulalia,  Virgin  and  Martyr 
of  Merida,  to  whom  the  cathedral  at  Elne  is  dedicated. 
The  church  and  the  surrounding  buildings  must  have 
been  restored  and  altered  in  the  twelfth  century.  There 
was  a  reconsecration  by  Artal  II.,  Bishop  of  Elne,  in 
1 15 1.  The  eleventh-century  church  appears  to  have  had 
no  aisles.  In  the  thirteenth  century  the  apse  was  demol- 
ished, the  building  lengthened  eastwards,  providing 
room  for  a  transept,  and  the  apse  rebuilt.  At  this 
time  the  narthex  and  the  southern  addition  were  also 
made. 

An  apostolical  Bull  of  1593  united  the  title  and 
revenues  of  the  monastery  to  the  Chapter  of  the  Church 
of  Solsona  in  Catalonia  ;  this  may  be  the  date  of  the 
later  alterations. 


252      THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 

The  Valley  of  the  Tet  and  Canigou. 

When  I  left  Perpignan  for  Prades  on  the  occasion  of 
my  last  visit,  the  morning  was  beautiful,  but  breezy. 
During  the  night  the  hum  of  the  mosquito  had  wakened 
me  several  times,  and  my  hands  and  face  bore  traces  of 
his  handiwork,  so  that  the  wind  was  very  welcome. 
The  more  distant  serrations  of  the  mountain  silhouettes 
were  distinct  against  the  warm  greenish  tint  of  the 
sky  near  the  horizon,  pale  films  of  a  slightly  purplish 
blue,  suffused  with  a  warmer  tint,  and  showing  in 
places  traces  of  structure  in  rather  lighter  patches. 
Those  which  received  side  light,  and  were  nearer,  of 
course  had  their  structure  well  defined,  with  bluish 
shadows  on  a  warm  pale  ground.  I  noticed  that  the 
hay  (the  second  or  third  crop  of  which  was  being  cut) 
was  generally  tied  up  in  big  bundles  in  the  fields,  though 
haycocks  were  sometimes  seen. 

In  this  valley  many  of  the  churches  have  towers 
with  Moorish  battlements,  and  the  bells  hung  in  small 
iron  cages  on  the  corners.  Beyond  Marquixanes  one 
noticed  a  nice  little  tumble  of  houses  down  the  hillside, 
with  the  church  at  the  top,  almost  Italian  in  effect, 
and  near  here  there  was  a  ruined  chapel  standing 
solitary  on  a  little  hill,  which  looked  as  if  it  might  have 
been  taken  bodily  from  the  background  of  a  medieval 
picture.  High  up  against  the  sky  is  another  tower, 
which  I  suspect  is  Marcevol,  a  place  I  wished  to  visit, 
but  was  unable  to  attain,  an  example  of  the  fortified 


THE  RAILWAY  TO  BOURG-MADAME  253 
chapel  so  frequent  in  these  border  lands,  with  a  regular 
barbican  in  front  of  a  fine  Romanesque  door.  As  is 
usual,  it  is  desecrated,  and  used  as  farm  buildings. 

Above  Villefranche  there  is  a  Hght  electric  railway 
running  up   the  valley  to  Bourg-Madame,   which  is 
found  very  useful  by  the  Spanish  vintagers.    Ordinarily 
respectable  people  are  therefore  obliged  to  go  first- 
class,  and  I  had  in  my  carriage  a  French  officer  and  his 
fiancee,  who  very  much  objected  to  first-class  fare,  but 
nevertheless  had  to  pay  for  the  luxury  of  being  able 
to  kiss  in  peace,  for  I  looked  steadfastly  out  of  the 
other  window,  though  I  doubt  if  I  should  have  been  a 
restraint  in  any  case  !     The  railway  is  a  triumph  of 
engineering,  and  the  scenery  very  fine.     Probably  it  is 
more  impressive  from  the  rail  than  it  would  be  from 
the  road,  since  the  curves  of  the  latter  are  looked  down 
upon,  and  thus  form  part  of  the  composition  of  line  (and 
a  very  effective  part).     One  looks  dowTi  into  deep  and 
rugged  chasms,  with  water  at  the  bottom,  and  up  to 
the  summits  of  almost  overhanging  cHffs  (in  appear- 
ance), and  the  vision  rakes  the  projecting  buttresses  of 
the  chffs,  one  behind  the  other,  beyond  which  the  long 
declining  lines  of  the  greater  masses  pale  and  become 
bluer  as  the  distance  increases.     Here  and  there  little 
villages  are  scattered  down  the  slope,  or  crown  isolated 
elevations — sometimes  with  the  church  tower  as  centre 
and   head,    sometimes   standing  isolated.     One   looks 
down  upon  a  bewildering  confusion  of  rock-terraces 
and    cultivated    trees,    rock    masses,    winding    paths, 


254      THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 

curving  roads,  and  water  rushing  whitely  over  a  rocky 
bed,  or  green  in  quiet  pools  ;  upon  the  slated  roofs  of 
houses  niched  in  the  rock,  upon  the  viaducts  and 
tunnel-mouths  of  the  rail  itself,  and  upon  the  peasants, 
like  ants,  busy  with  their  hay-harvest  ;  the  whole 
brought  together  and  unified  by  the  brilliant  blue  of 
the  sky,  upon  which  white  clouds  sail,  and  the  corre- 
sponding darker  blue  of  the  mountain-sides  gradually 
paling  and  becoming  more  aerial  as  the  distance 
increases.  At  Mont  Louis  the  slope  seems  to  be  some- 
times as  much  as  60  in  220,  according  to  a  painted 
label,  but  it  can  scarcely  be  i  in  4  ! 

The  place  still  retains  its  fortifications  as  they  were 
built,  and  they  are  taken  so  seriously  that  everyone  is 
absolutely  forbidden  to  "  circulate  "  upon  them.  It 
was  the  old  capital  of  the  French  Cerdagne,  and  I 
discovered  nothing  in  it  worthy  of  note. 

Above  Pont  Pedrousse,  where  many  roads  make 
complicated  lines,  and  the  buildings  are  well  grouped, 
the  views  are  specially  fine.  The  stream  runs  at  the 
bottom  of  the  valley  bounded  by  green  on  both  sides, 
and  ruined  castles  crown  the  smaller  summits  here  and 
there,  as  well  as  churches.  Below  Olette  are  two  well- 
preserved,  round  battlemented  towers  standing  side  by 
side  close  to  the  line. 

As  the  sun  sank  the  yellow  glow  became  mtense, 
making  the  distant  violets  and  blues  more  dehcate  in 
colour,  while  the  force  of  the  nearer  shadows  added 
distance  to  them,  emphasizing  portions  almost  as  if 


THE   LIFE   OF   THE   PEOPLE  255 

intentionally.  The  glow  rose  to  the  top  of  the  hills 
and  then  to  the  clouds,  which  finally  became  a  cold  grey 
on  a  tinted  ground. 

I  was  rather  struck  with  a  notice  painted  up  at 
Prades  :  "  The  guardianship  of  public  property  is 
confided  to  the  patriotism  of  every  citizen."  It 
reminded  me  of  a  somewhat  similar  notice  at  Aries  in 
which  citizens  were  called  upon  to  respect  the  property 
of  others,  since  it  was  the  fruit  of  their  industry  and 
self-denial. 

The  life  of  the  people  is  always  interesting.  One 
morning  I  saw  an  old  man  with  a  donkey  going  into 
Prades,  who,  after  exhorting  him,  and  even  pushing  him 
on  from  behind,  lost  patience,  and  hit  him  three  or  four 
resounding  blows  with  his  stick,  about  the  meaning 
of  which  there  could  be  no  doubt— he  meant  business. 
The  donkey  seemed  surprised,  and  brayed  a  longish 
protest,  but  thought  it  wisest  to  take  the  hint.  Close 
behind  came  two  cartloads  of  peasants  and  sacks, 
probably  vintagers  returning  to  Spain  (men  and 
women),  for  I  saw  them  again  at  Villefranche.  They 
reminded  me  of  Sicily,  for  I  should  think  there  were  at 
least  thirty  in  the  first,  a  long  one  with  two  horses. 
As  they  got  farther  away  they  burst  into  song  (male 
voices  only),  and  at  the  distance  they  were  it  sounded 
quite  well. 

Prades,  a  good  centre  for  excursions,  is  said  to  be  at 
least  as  old  as  the  time  of  Charlemagne.  At  the 
Revolution  it  was  the  chief  town  of  the  Viguerie  of 


THE  CHURCH  AT  PRADES  257 

Conflent.  It  belonged  anciently  to  the  Monastery  of 
Grasse,  near  Carcassonne.  At  the  mairie  a  judgment 
of  865  relative  to  this  possession,  and  a  copy  of  the 
original  document,  are  preserved.  The  church  is  of  a 
type  which  is  common  in  the  district.  It  is  Gothic  in 
style,  with  a  single  nave  of  six  bays,  side-chapels,  and 
an  apse  ;  the  eastern  and  westernmost  are  rather 
broader  than  the  rest.  Over  the  sanctuary  is  a  lierne- 
ribbed  vault  ;  the  chapels  are  sometimes  quadripartite 
and  sometimes  sexpartite,  while  the  nave  vault  is  a 
pointed  waggon-vault,  with  strengthening  arches.  An 
inscription  on  a  stone  outside  the  sacristy  gives  the 
date  of  April  27,  1749,  and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  late 
Renaissance  work  about  it.  The  nave  arcade  is  round- 
arched,  with  imposts  on  the  piers,  and  at  the  west  end 
is  a  big  organ  in  a  gallery,  a  rather  imposing  compo- 
sition. The  reredoses  in  the  side-chapels  are  all  bad, 
but  perhaps  the  great  one  above  the  high-altar  is  the 
worst.  It  is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  S.  Michel 
de  Cuxa,  and  to  be  the  work  of  a  Catalan  artist,  Joseph 
Sunyer,  who  carved  it  about  1700.  On  the  south  side, 
not  far  from  the  apse,  stands  a  bell-tower  of  Lombard 
type,  on  the  west  face  of  which  the  date  of  535  is 
engraved.  Some  archaeologists  have  interpreted  this 
to  mean  the  year  535  of  the  Hegira,  but  the  Mussulman 
era  was  never  employed  in  Roussillon,  and  it  is  at 
least  doubtful  whether  Arabic  numerals  were  in  use 
in  the  twelfth  century,  for  this  would  mean  a.d.  1157, 
a  date  on  other  grounds  likely  enough.     It  has  five 

33 


258     THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
stories,  and  an  octagonal  pyramidal  top  crowned  by 
two  bells  hung  in  ironwork,  which  M.  Brutails  says  is 
modern.     The  base  has  two  courses  which  batter,  and 
then  a  bhnd  arcade  of  two  unmoulded  arches  on  a 
shallow  central  corbel  ;  the  next  story  has  a  pilaster 
strip  in  the  centre  and  at  the  angles,  with  three  little 
corbelled  arches  on  each  side  ;  the  next  a  two-hght, 
unmoulded    opening,    with    two    central    shafts    with 
entasis   one   behind   the   other,   one   carved   cap   and 
abacus,   and   above   six   corbelled   arches.     The   next 
story  repeats  this  arrangement,  except  that  the  open- 
ings are  taller  ;  each  of  these  stages  has  a  string-course 
of  blocks  set  anglewise,  forming  what  the  French  call 
dent  de  scie.     Above  these  are  two  large  arched  windows 
of  two  orders,  with  a  corbel  on  the  central  pier  to 
support  the  second  ;  above  this  is  plaster.     The  corner 
pilasters  run  from  top  to  bottom,  and  at  the  top,  which 
is  surrounded  by  an  iron  rail,  gargoyles  project  from 
the  corners.     In  front  of  the  church  is  a  shady  "  place," 
with  a  fountain  and  many  seats  beneath  the  lofty  trees, 
These  seats  are  all  of  red  Pyrenean  marble,  and  show 
by  their  curved  form  that  they  have  formed  part  of 
large  arches.     Probably  they  came  from  S.  Michel  de 
Cuxa— portions  of  the  richly  carved  cloister  from  which 
have  been  re-erected  as  an  arcade  to  the  baths  ;  twelve 
columns  and  caps,  and  two  angle  piers,  one  range  of 
nine  arches,  and  one  incomplete  of  four  and  a  half.     At 
Codalet,   a  short  distance  away,   an  arch,   with  two 
columns  and  caps,  has  been  utihzed  as  the  setting  of  the 


^-^^A 


^T 


1 


■=•   .-r-ySiri 


26o     THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 

fountain.  The  village  belonged  to  the  abbey  from  the 
ninth  century.  In  1342  a  charter  gave  the  place 
complete  municipal  organization.  Till  a  few  years  ago 
a  gate  belonging  to  the  fortifications  might  still  be 
seen. 

Many  interesting  buildings  are  within  easy  reach  of 
Prades.     Of  these  the  first  to  be  visited  will  probably 

be  the  Abbey  of 
S.  Michel  de  Cuxa  in 
the  Valley  of  the 
Ribereta,  called  also 
the  River  of  Taurinya 
— anciently  the  Llit- 
era.  Opposite  Codalet 
the  Font  de  Llitera 
may  still  be  found. 
The  valley  comprises 
the  territories  of  Co- 
dalet and  Taurinya, 
with  the  abbey, 
founded  in  878  or  879, 
and  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  in  the  dis- 
trict. The  Abbot  was 
accorded  episcopal 
honours,  and  had 
jurisdiction  over  fifteen  parishes,  of  which  he  was  tem- 
poral lord  also.  The  will  of  Abbot  Protasius  (f  879) 
shows  that  it  then  possessed  a  library  of  thirty  volumes. 


PLAN    OF   ABBEY    OF    S.    MICHEL    DE    CUXA. 


ABBEY  OF  S.   MICHEL   DE  CUXA  261 

a  very  large  one  for  the  period.  Its  reputation  for 
sanctity  attracted  distinguished  neophytes,  as,  for 
instance,  S.  Pietro  Orseolo,  the  sainted  Doge  of  Venice, 
who  was  so  carried  away  by  the  eloquence  of  Abbot 
Guarin  during  his  visit  to  Venice  at  the  end  of  the  tenth 
century  that  he  followed  him  hither,  notwithstanding 
the  prayers  of  his  family  and  the  Senate.  A  legend 
relates  that  he  had  a  cell  outside  the  convent,  where  he 
spent  much  time  in  prayer,  returning  to  sleep  within 
the  walls.  One  night  he  found  the  gate  shut,  and  could 
not  enter,  so  he  set  himself  to  pray,  when  two  angels 
appeared  with  a  ladder,  by  the  aid  of  which  he  scaled 
the  wall  !     He  died  in  977. 

Many  gifts  were  made  to  the  monastery  by  the 
Counts  of  Ronssillon,  of  Besalu,  and  Barcelona.  A 
copy  of  the  original  donation  of  Count  Seniofredus,  made 
in  1267,  exists.  Giovanni  de  Medici,  Archbishop  of 
Narbonne,  and  afterwards  Pope  Clement  VII.  (1516), 
was  Abbot  of  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa.  The  monastery  was 
moved  from  Exalada  on  the  banks  of  the  Tet,  near 
Olette,  its  original  site  from  845  ;  but  after  thirty  years 
of  existence  in  that  situation  a  cataclysm  carried  the 
house  away.  Apparently  the  community  already  pos- 
sessed a  cell  at  Cuxa.  The  monks  immediately  con- 
structed a  roughly-built  church,  but  the  dedication  of  a 
second  was  celebrated  in  953  ;  yet  this  was  not  enough, 
and  two  or  three  years  afterwards  the  foundations  of  a 
third  church  were  laid,  which  was  dedicated  in  974. 
The  monk  Garcia,  in  a  letter  to  Bishop  Oliba  written 


262  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
about  1040,  described  this  church,  which  he  was 
famihar  with.  The  nave  is  said  to  be  33  cubits  long, 
built  of  common  blocks  of  stone  40  palms  broad,  with 
arches  thrown  across  it ;  then  from  them  walls  were 
raised  and  the  wooden  roof  put  on,  which  was  remark- 
able for  the  size  of  the  timbers  and  the  beauty  of  the 
ornament.  He  calls  the  constructor  an  angel  or 
heavenly  man  ("  Angelus  vel  coelestis  homo,  Warinus 
identidem").  The  width  of  the  nave  in  the  ruined 
church  is  about  30  feet,  too  broad  for  a  Romanesque 
vault,  and  it  appears  to  be  the  original  construction, 
from  its  arrangement.  Transverse  arches  support  the 
roof  in  both  the  Dominican  church  and  the  Carmes  at 
Perpignan  ;  and  the  same  arrangement  may  be  seen  at 
the  Church  of  Lamorguier  at  Narbonne,  which  now 
houses  the  architectural  sculpture  from  the  demolished 
walls.  At  a  later  date  the  side-walls  at  S.  Michel  de 
Cuxa  were  pierced,  and  aisles  added  with  vaults,  con- 
verted still  later  into  side-chapels.  The  choir  arches 
were  pointed,  the  rest  round-arched.  The  nave  was 
vaulted  with  ribs,  and  in  modern  times  with  a  flat  brick 
waggon  vault.  There  was  a  broad  transept,  with  a 
tower  at  each  end,  one  of  which  fell  down  in  the  winter 
of  1838-39.  The  other,  though  supported  by  a  heavy 
sloping  abutment,  shows  cracks  in  some  of  the  window 
arches.  The  reconsecration  of  the  high-altar  in  1592 
was  perhaps  on  account  of  a  restoration  of  the  apse. 

Beyond  the  apse  is  the  little  church  of  the  Creche, 
which  looks  earlier  than  1040,  according  to  M.  Brutails, 


<'i-"*5H 


X 

& 
o 

w 

Q 
-J 

X 
O 


pi-  -cj^ 


264  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
though  the  monk  Garcia  ascribed  it  to  Abbot  Ohba. 
He  says,  "  Quae  ad  prsesepium  dicitur,"  which  seems 
conclusive.  When  we  were  there  we  made  inquiries 
as  to  obtaining  admission,  but  the  proprietor  was  away 
from  home,  and  his  managing  man  would  say  nothing 
but  "  C'est  ferme."     M.  Brutails  says  that  it  is  a  ring 

surrounding  a  big  cylin- 
drical pier,  covered  with 
an  annular  waggon- 
vault,  and  with  a  small 
apse  eastwards.  A  nave 
with  a  flat  end  was 
added  to  the  north  side 
of  this  circular  chapel, 
which  is  vaulted  with 
a  waggon  -  vault  big 
enough  to  allow  of  the 
centrings  resting  on  the 
wall  ;  the  masonry  is 
very  rough,  and  on  the 
vaults  the  marks  of  the 
centrings  show  plainly 
in  the  thick  mortar.  Both  the  buildings  are  sunk  in 
the  earth  and  very  badly  lighted,  so  that  they  might  be 
described  as  crypts  without  much  error.  The  cloister 
was  built  of  the  red  marble  of  Villefranche  in  the 
twelfth  century.  At  the  angles,  and  here  and  there 
along  the  sides,  were  cubical  piers  to  give  stability. 
The  only  portion  of  the  conventual  buildings  remaining 


PLAN    OF    CHAPEL   OF    THE    CRECHE, 
S.    MICHEL    DE    CUXA. 


34 


266     THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 

is  the  door  of  the  Abbot's  house,  composed  of  carved 
fragments  which  bear  a  certain  resemblance  in  style 
to  the  narthex  at  Serrabona.  I  was  told  by  the  hotel 
keeper  at  Prades  (in  1909)  that  an  American  came 
there  the  year  before,  and  bought  all  the  ancient 
marbles  he  could  find.  He  bought  the  S.  Michel 
Arcade  at  the  baths*  and  the  upper  part  of  a  door, 
which  he  reconstructed  in  cement,  and  offered  6,000 
francs  for  the  door  at  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  but  the 
proprietor  wanted  10,000.  How  many  of  these  carv- 
ings are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  district  I  cannot  say. 
In  1704,  when  the  abbey  was  united  to  the  Bishopric 
of  Elne,  nine  arches  were  still  standing. 

The  vegetation  in  this  valley  is  most  luxuriant.  At 
Prades  I  saw  a  bay-tree  as  high  as  a  house.  At 
Perpignan  were  great  bushes  of  cytisus  9  or  10  feet 
high,  and  other  flowering  shrubs  and  creepers  in 
similar  proportion.  Irrigation  is  managed  most  intelli- 
gently, full  advantage  being  taken  of  the  variation  in 
the  level  of  the  ground.  Wherever  one  goes  the 
pleasant  rushing  of  water  accompanies  one,  and  the 
sight  of  the  splashing  of  the  overplus,  either  running 
down  walls  or  as  little  waterfalls,  gives  an  impression 
of  coolness. 

Above  S.  Michel,  towards  Taurinya,  the  road  runs 
between  apple-trees,  which  were  in  blossom.     A  tram- 
line on  the  Telfer  system,  in  connection  with  iron  mines 
above  the  latter  place,  runs  to  near  Prades  ;  two  chains 
*  In  19 1 1  this  arcade  was  still  in  place. 


DOOK  AT  S.  MICHKI.  DK  CUXA. 


To  f;u  c  pnn'^  ^^(>- 


TAURINYA  267 

and  two  rails   upon  which  the  Httle  cars  travel  in 
opposite  directions,  looking  as  if  they  wandered  at 
their  own  sweet  will.     The  ore  with  which  they  were 
loaded  was  dark  purple.     The  view  up  the  valley  as 
we  approached  Taurinya  was  magnificent  ;  the  great 
mass  of  the  Canigou  was  a  fine  blue  set  off  by  the  snow 
with  which  it  was  capped,  and  deepened  by  the  woods 
with   which   it   was   partly   clothed.     In   the   middle 
distance  the  houses  of  Taurinya,  crowned  by  the  church 
tower,  made  a  warm,  reddish  -  purple  mass,  relieved 
by  the  lighter  colour  of  the  sunlight,  where  it  caught 
on  wall,   angle,   or  roof.     Below  was  a  fine  mass  of 
trees  bursting  into  leaf,  beneath  the  shade  of  which 
we   found   the   washerwomen   plying   their   laborious 
calling.     In  front  the  road  glared  in  the  sunlight,  but 
the  ripple  of  water  which  ran  down  a  wall  by  the  side 
of  the  road  pleasantly  modified  the  impression  of  heat. 
Above  the  village  are  the  peaks  of  Dels  Pradells  and 
Roch  Mosquit.      The  church  is  dedicated  to  S.  Fruc- 
tueux,  and  is  mentioned  in  937,  while  the  place  itself, 
Villa  Tauriniano,  appears  about  845.     The  tower  of 
the  church  is  Romanesque.     On  two  sides  it  has  on  the 
level  of  the  roof  one  round-headed  window,  then  one  of 
two  lights,   with  a  central  shaft   and  uncarved  cap 
(partly  built  up),  then  a  string-course.     Then  come 
two  more  two-light  windows,  with  a  central  shaft  and 
carved  cap,  one  made  into  one  arch  without  a  shaft. 
At  the  top  two  bells  are  hung.     The  colonnettes  and 
caps  are   of   reddish  marble,   prettily  carved.      High 


268  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
above  the  village  is  a  little  square  chapel,  with  an  apse 
and  one  little  window,  which  looks  Romanesque  ;  we 
contented  ourselves  with  viewing  it  from  a  distance. 

Villef ranche  -  le  -  Conflent  is  a  strange  little  place, 
fitted  into  the  gorge,  with  the  mountain-sides  rising 
high  above  the  houses,  and  appearing  at  the  ends  of 
both  the  streets  of  which  it  mainly  consists.  The 
apparatus  for  working  the  drawbridge  is  still  in  place, 
and  most  of  the  later  fortifications.  The  base  of  the 
clock-tower  is  now  a  public  washing-place,  but  women 
may  be  seen  kneeling  at  their  washing  by  the  gutter,  using 
the  water  which  runs  outside  their  doors.  The  place 
stands  at  the  junction  of  the  Tet  and  the  stream  which 
comes  down  from  Corneilla.  A  hastide  was  founded  here 
in  1095  by  Guillaume  Raymond,  Count  of  Cerdagne. 
The  charter  estabUshed  a  market,  and  promised  the 
inhabitants  freedom  from  taxes  for  the  first  two  or 
three  years  ;  afterwards  they  were  only  to  pay  "  as 
much  as  they  wish,  or  what  pleased  them  !"  It  was 
in  the  territory  of  Corneilla-le-Conflent,  and  its  Church 
of  S.  Jacques  was  always  under  the  Augustinian  priory 
in  that  place.  Built  in  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth 
century,  and  altered  and  enlarged  afterwards,  it  has 
two  naves  unequal  in  height  and  width,  the  wider 
about  30  feet  across,  and  two  Romanesque  doors,  one 
much  more  important  than  the  other,  both  opening 
into  the  smaller  nave,  into  which  one  descends  by  three 
steps.  The  choir  is  at  the  west  end,  opposite  the  high- 
altar,    in   the    Spanish   fashion  —  thirty    stalls,    with 


VILLEFRANCHE-LE-CONFLENT. 


2/0     THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
fourteenth-century  architectural  forms.     On  the  south 
side  are  five  chapels,  pointed  bays  without  mouldings 
sunk  in  the  wall,  of  which  the  two  eastern  are  loftier. 
The  arcade  between  the  naves  consists  of  four  great 
round  arches,  the  largest  nearly  30  feet  across,  and  the 
westernmost    built  up.      The  second  has  two  orders. 
The  eastward  pier  has  a  moulded  square  cap  ornamented 
with  leaves,  the  base  also  moulded,   and  the  angles 
stop-chamfered.     The  wall  of  the  north  aisle  (or  nave) 
is  pierced  with  five  arches  opening  into  shallow  chapels, 
the  two  easternmost  pointed  to  match  those  opposite. 
Next  a  round  arch  of  two  orders,  with  impost  and  door- 
opening  ;  then  the  baptistery,  with  a  segmental  arch 
and  impost,  and  the  second  door  with  a  small  round 
arch.     The  pointed  barrel-vaults  are  plastered.     At  the 
west  and  east  ends  are  windows,  the  latter  filled  with 
bad-coloured  glass  ;   and  a  little  light   opens  at  the 
change  in  height  of  the  vaults,  for  the  choir  vaults  are 
higher  than  those   of  the  naves.     There  are  several 
memorial  slabs  in  the  pavement  and  on  the  external 
wall   of   the   fourteenth  century.      In   the  Chapel   of 
S.   Michel  is  the  funerary  slab  of  Arnal  de  Bardoyl 
(f  1263).     On  one  of  the  piers  of  the  nave  are  the  arms 
of  Raymond  de  S.  Sauveur,  intendant  of  Roussillon  in 
1784,  the  first  work  of  the  sculptor  Boher,  who  was  born 
at  Villefranche  in  1771.      The  smaller  door  has  two 
orders  :    hood-mould   and   colonnettes   in   the   angles, 
carved  caps  and  roll  with  interlacing  patterns  upon  it. 
The  tympanum  is  surrounded  with  a  moulding,  and 


'■^- 


i^m 


f-' 


M' 


m 


DETAIL  OF  CHURCH    DOOR,    VI  LI.KFRANCH  K-LE-CON'FI.KNT. 

To  face  page  170. 


VILLEFRANCHE-LE-CONFLENT  271 

the  hinges  are  old.  The  other  has  five  orders,  two 
colonnettes  in  each  angle,  ornamental  mouldings,  and 
a  moulding  round  the  tympanum.  The  spiral  channel- 
lings  are  rather  overdone,  and  there  is  a  curious  monster 
seated  at  the  springing  of  the  arch  which  suggests  a 
Japanese  original.  These  doors  are  among  the  richest 
in  the  district. 

The  inspiration  is  from  Elne  and  Serrabona.  One 
of  the  patterns  of  the  smaller  doorway  occurs  at  Elne, 
and  some  of  the  caps  are  almost  exactly  like  Serrabona 
in  details.  The  scrolls  of  the  ironwork  are  wrought 
to  the  cross  pieces,  not  independent  as  at  Corneilla. 
The  bigger  door  is  the  more  individual. 

There  are  in  the  town  several  houses  of  the  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  centuries.  In  1263  the  King  ordered  the 
construction  of  three  bridges  at  Villefranche  ;  the 
bridge  of  S.  Pierre  is  thought  to  be  one  of  them.  In 
early  medieval  times  many  Jews  lived  here.  The 
fortifications  were  strengthened  by  Alfonso  V.  of 
Aragon  (1431-1454).  On  the  Tour  du  Diable  the  date 
of  construction  is  engraved  on  the  back  of  a  slab,  the 
other  side  of  which  bears  an  epitaph  of  the  thirteenth 
century. 

From  Villefranche  we  walked  up  to  Vernet-les- 
Bains,  because  we  wished  to  visit  Corneilla-le-Conflcnt, 
which  possesses  a  very  interesting  church.  The  village 
lies  at  the  junction  of  the  two  Valleys  of  St.  Vincent  and 
Fillols,  which  descend  directly  from  the  Pic  du  Canigou. 
It  is  of  considerable  antiquity,  the  first  mention  of  it 


/  /     / 

"  \ 

/ .'    / 

'  i 

/  /     n 

\  \ 

'     H'    ' 

ii,-. 

1          /    / 

■  ■'  ^1 

f    ■'   \      ' 

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V  I 


( 

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\   ■■ 


\    '''■ 


CORNEILLA-LE-CONFLENT 


273 


occurring  in  950.  The  Counts  of  Cerdagne  had  a 
palace  in  the  place,  which  was  given  by  Pedro  IV. 
of  Aragon  in  135 1,  to  a  priory  of  Augustinian  Canons, 
founded  quite  near  in  1095  by  Guillaume  Jourdain, 
son  of  Guillaume  Raymond.  To  them  the  church 
belonged.  This  church,  dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  is 
called  by  M.  Brutails  "  one  of  the  simplest  churches  in 

the  district.  It  consists  of  nave 
and  aisles,  transept,  central 
apse,  and  four  small  apses 
opening  eastwards  from  the 
transept,  which  do  not  appear 
externally,  and  must  be  divined 
by  the  loopholes  with  which  the 
wall  is  pierced  in  the  deepest 
part  of  each  apse.  The  nave 
arcade,  of  four  bays,  rests  on 
piers  of  rectangular  plan  with 
simple  imposts.  The  central 
apse  is  lighted  by  three  round - 
PLAN-  OF  CHURCH,  coRNEiLLA-  hcadcd   wiudows,    wlth    coloU" 

LK-COXFLENT. 

nettes  in  the  jambs,  and  roll- 
mouldings  above  them  both  internally  and  exter- 
nally. The  main  vault  is  a  pointed  waggon-vault, 
with  a  string  at  its  springing  ;  the  aisle  vaults  also 
have  this  string,  and  are  almost  quarter-circle.  The 
bell-tower  is  seated  on  the  western  bay  of  the 
south  aisle,  but  projects  beyond  it.  The  western 
fagade  is  crenellated  and  divided  by  a  string-course. 

35 


274  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  TET  AND  CANIGOU 
Above  it  is  a  fair-sized  window  of  two  orders,  with 
colonnettes  and  a  roll-moulding  above.  In  place  of 
a  hood-mould  there  is  a  semicircle  of  pale  marble 
surrounding  an  arch  of  small  blocks  placed  anglewise 
like  sawteeth,  an  ornament  also  used  round  the  apse 
windows   beneath   a  corbelled,  round-arched   cornice. 


THE    WEST    DOOR,    CORNEILLA-LE-CONFLENT. 


The  door  is  richly  decorated.  It  has  five  orders,  with 
twisted  and  ornamented  roll-mouldings  ;  in  the  angles 
three  colonnettes  with  well-carved  caps,  bearing  great 
resemblance  to  others  at  Elne,  both  in  material  and 
technique,  and  a  carved  tympanum  with  the  Virgin 
and  Child  seated  within  a  vesica,  which  is  supported 
by  two  censing  angels.     The  church  stands  on  a  plat- 


INTERIOR  275 

form  approached  by  steps  and  faced  by  a  shady  square, 
in  which  a  few  fine  elm-trees  flourish.  (I  found  the 
one  to  the  right  had  been  cut  down  in  191 1.)  Within, 
the  most  noticeable  thing  is  the  retable  of  the  high- 
altar,  a  notable  production  of  Catalan  art,  the  work 
of  Maitre  Jacques  Cascall,  of  Berga,  who  made  it  in 
1345  and  1346.  Dismantled  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  panels  were  put  up  again  without  being 
properly  arranged,  so  that  the  composition  is  confused. 
There  are  also  several  interesting  tombs,  a  seated 
figure  of  the  Madonna  and  one  standing,  an  altar  on 
colonnettes,  and,  in  the  belfry,  a  bell  with  inscriptions 
in  Gothic  capitals.  The  remains  of  the  cloister  are 
small  and  poor. 

It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  ironwork  of  the 
door  is  characteristically  Roussillonais,  with  many 
scrolls  growing  from  straight  iron  bands,  set  between 
the  strengthening  bands  and  hinges,  the  whole  chan- 
nelled as  at  Palalda,  but  less  elaborate. 

My  second  visit  was  in  the  autumn,  when  there  was 
less  abundance  of  water  than  in  the  spring  ;  and  I 
was  rather  amused  to  see  the  basin  of  one  of  the  wall 
fountains  occupied  by  two  children  as  a  play  place. 
The  afternoon  was  waning,  and  the  shepherd's  pipe 
was  heard  as  he  walked  in  front  of  the  flocks  he  was 
bringing  back  into  the  village — a  wise  precaution,  as 
thereby  he  escaped  the  dust  which  their  trampling 
raised  ! 


276  S.   MARTIN   DU  CANIGOU 

S.  Martin  du  Canigou. 

From  the  Valley  of  the  Tech  one  side  of  Mount 
Canigou  is  seen,  the  Valley  of  the  Tet  affords  views 
of  another  side,  and  the  subsidiary  valleys  run  up 
between  wide-spreading  buttresses  of  the  mountain 
itself  on  the  northern  side,  just  as  from  Arles-sur-Tech 
and  Amelie-les-Bains  on  the  south-east.  It  is  the  last 
of  the  high  mountains  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Pyrenees 
(over  9,000  feet),  and  from  its  somewhat  isolated  posi- 
tion always  dominates  the  landscape  with  its  impres- 
sive mass.  From  the  summit  it  is  said  that  the  view 
embraces  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles.  The  valleys 
round  and  the  ravines  on  the  flanks  of  the  mountain 
are  said  to  be  haunted  by  fairies  and  hobgoblins, 
especially  the  wooded  Valley  of  Balaig  just  below  the 
Xemeneya,  the  highest  of  the  three  crests.  M.  Masso- 
Torrents  says  that  a  shepherd  pointed  out  to  him  the 
crossing  of  two  ways,  and  said  that  at  midnight  all 
the  witches  of  the  Canigou  met  there.  On  the  summit 
he  met  a  "garde  champetre,"  who  told  him  that  at 
midnight  the  enchantresses  came  out  of  the  spring 
and  danced  the  ''  Sardana  "  round  the  water,  while 
the  devil  made  music,  playing  flute  and  tambourine 
on  the  top  of  a  hillock  near  ;  and  that  those  who  washed 
or  bathed  in  those  waters  disappeared.  In  the  village 
of  FuUa  he  saw  children  following  a  poor  old  woman 
considered  to  be  a  witch,  and  calling  derisively  after 
her,  "  Go  to  Balaig." 


LEGEND   OF   ITS  FOUNDATION  277 

Upon  the  side  of  this  mountain,  over  3,000  feet  above 
sea-level,  just  below  the  three  peaks  of  the  Trinitat, 
and  backed  by  a  precipice  falling  to  the  torrent,  which 
bears  the  name  of  Riu  Major,  are  the  buildings  of  the 
ancient  Benedictine  Monastery  of  S.  Martin  du  Canigou. 
It  was  founded  in  looi  by  Guifred,  Count  of  Cerdagne. 
According  to  legends  and  local  traditions,  when  the 
Moors  entered  Cerdagne,  one  of  his  nephews,  without 
his  orders,  commenced  the  battle,  and  had  the  worst 
of  it.     The  Count  came  to  his  help  and  beat  back  the 
Moors,    but    was   very    angry   with   him   for   his   dis- 
obedience, and  finding  his  nephew  seeking  sanctuary 
in  the  chapel  of  a  castle  called  S.  Marti  dels  Castels, 
killed  him,  though  he  held  the  Host  in  his  arms,  and  in 
repentance  for  his  deed  founded  the  monastery.     A 
more  developed  form  of  the  legend  states  that  Pope 
Sergius   IV.,   to  punish   the   sacrilege   and  homicide, 
deprived  him  of  his  states.     The  Count  went  to  Rome, 
and  on  his  knees  begged  for  pardon.     He  was  told  to 
found  the  monastery  and  dedicate  it    to   S.  Martin. 
Unfortunately,  historical   facts  make   this   story   im- 
possible.    The  Moors  were  not  in  the  Cerdagne  for 
150  years  before  the  birth  of  Count  Guifred,  and  there 
was  a  Church  of  S.  Martin  on  the  Canigou  in  977.     In 
966  the  village  of  Casteil  (Castrum  Sancti  Martini)  is 
mentioned  in  a  will,  and  to  the  house  of  S.  Martin  other 
gifts  were  made  in  1005  and  1007  ;  in  the  latter  year 
for   the   express   purpose    of   building   a   Benedictine 
monastery.  The  founder  was  the  son  of  Oliva,  surnamed 


278  S.    MARTIN    DU   CANIGOU 

Cabreta,  and  of  Ermengarde,  from  whom  he  inherited 
the   Cerdagne.     His  brothers  were  Bernat,  surnamed 
Taliaferro,  Count  of   Besalu,  Oliba,  who  was  Bishop 
of  Ansona  and  Abbot  of  Ripoll,  Cuxa,  and  San  Marti, 
and  Berenguer,  Bishop  of  Elne.     One  of  his  sisters, 
Adelaide,  married  a  subject  of  Bernat,  named  Jean 
Auriol,  and  another,  Ingilberga,  was  Abbess  of  S.  Jean. 
He  governed  his  states  from  990-1049,  married  twice, 
and  had  seven  children,  among  whom  some  became 
Bishops  of  Urgel,  Elne,  and  Narbonne.     Nine  years 
after  the  foundation  of  S.  Martin  he  gave  100,000  sols 
to   the   Viscount    of   Narbonne   and   the   Marquis   of 
Gothia,  to  ensure  the  Archbishopric  of  Narbonne  for 
his  son,  who  was  then  two  years  old  !     He  possessed 
the  see  for  sixty-three  years  (1016-1079),  and  many 
crimes  and  rapines  took  place  in  his  diocese  during 
that  period.     He  sold  the  sacred  vessels  to  the  Jews 
to  procure  100,000  sols,  which  seems  to  have  been  the 
usual  price  for  an  important  bishopric,   to  buy  the 
Bishopric  of  Urgel  for  his  brother. 

The  existing  Church  of  S.  Martin  was  consecrated 
by  Oliba,  Bishop  of  Elne,  two  years  after  it  was  com- 
menced, and  the  Bull  of  Pope  Sergius  IV.,  conceding 
the  whole  monastery  to  him,  and  prescribing  that  the 
Abbots  should  be  elected  by  the  community,  is  pre- 
served in  the  Pubhc  Library,  Perpignan.  It  is  dated 
loii.  The  first  monks  came  from  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa, 
and  were  ruled  by  Ohba,  but  in  10 14  the  monk  Selua 
was  elected  Abbot,  who  built  the  monastery  from  his 


THE   FOUNDER'S   TOMB  279 

own  plans.  The  same  year  the  Count  is  said  to  have 
sent  envoys  to  Toulouse,  who  took  the  rehcs  of  S. 
Galderich  from  his  tomb,  and  brought  them  to  S. 
Martin.  It  is  said  that,  having  found  the  saint's  tomb, 
they  vainly  tried  to  break  it  open.  As  a  last  ex- 
pedient they  made  a  vow  to  place  the  relics  in  a  very 
honourable  place,  when  the  tomb  opened  without 
trouble !  During  droughts  the  Consuls  of  Perpignan 
used  to  send  a  deputation  to  the  Abbot  to  ask  for  the 
loan  of  these  relics.  There  were  then  three  processions 
marshalled,  formed  of  all  the  clergy,  generally  to  the 
banks  of  the  Tet,  where  an  altar  was  prepared,  but  if 
there  was  no  water  in  the  river,  then  to  the  sea-shore 
near  Ste.  Marie. 

In  1035  Count  Guifred  made  his  will,  and  became  a 
monk  in  the  monastery,  dying  there  in  1049.  According 
to  tradition  he  himself  hollowed  his  tomb  in  the  rock, 
and  passed  several  nights  in  it.  This  hollow  is  in  the 
courtyard  to  the  right  of  the  original  entrance,  the 
head  almost  tucked  away  beneath  the  wall.  When  he 
died,  Abbot  Miro  announced  his  death  to  all  the 
monasteries  of  the  Order  in  Europe,  and  from  most  of 
them  received  a  reply  lauding  the  qualities  of  the 
departed.  The  replies  were  sewn  together  and  kept 
in  a  roll,  which  was  shown  to  visitors  of  rank,  and 
when  unrolled  stretched  to  a  considerable  length. 
Twice  his  remains  were  moved — the  second  time  into 
the  upper  church,  where  they  occupied  a  tomb  of 
Villefranche    marble,    surmounted    by    a    recumbent 


28o  S.   MARTIN   DU  CANIGOU 

effigy.  In  1114  the  monastery  was  given  to  the 
Monastery  of  Grasse,  near  Carcassonne,  by  the  grand- 
son of  the  founder,  and  a  dispute  arose  as  to  the 
monks'  right  to  elect  their  Abbot ;  the  matter  was 
decided  against  the  monks  of  Grasse,  who  did  not 
submit  quietly,  but,  taking  soldiers  with  them,  raided 
S.  Martin,  killing  one  monk  and  wounding  others  on 
the  altar  steps.  In  the  tumult  the  crucifix  upon  the 
altar  was  broken,  and  the  sacrilegious  monks  departed, 
carrying  off  all  they  could,  which  they  sold  or  gave 
away.  In  1428-1430  earthquakes  did  much  damage, 
and  the  tower  was  not  rebuilt  till  1433.  The  old 
design  must  have  been  followed  and  the  old  materials 
used,  for  the  character  of  the  design  is  quite  like  other 
Lombard-looking  towers  in  the  district,  and  the  sum 
paid  to  Guillem  Carmesso,  who  did  the  work,  was  but 
fourteen  Barcelonese  livres  !  It  is  simpler  than  that 
of  S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  but  has  the  same  pilaster  strips 
running  up  the  centre  of  each  side  and  at  the  angles, 
and  the  same  arched  corbelling  defining  the  stories, 
which  in  this  case  are  three.  The  arch  of  entrance  was 
through  this  tower  on  the  rez-de-chaussee  (now  one 
goes  to  the  left  to  a  courtyard,  with  a  fountain  in  the 
centre  on  the  lower  level),  and  above  it  a  slight  pro- 
jection looks  like  a  defensive  work.  It  is  really,  how- 
ever, the  apse  of  a  chapel  occupying  the  first  floor, 
decorated  with  a  few  simple  paintings.  The  tower  is 
about  52  feet  high  and  26  feet  square.  On  November  4, 
1779,  the  community  petitioned  for  secularization,  and 


THE  UPPER  CHURCH  281 

four  years  later  obtained  it.  The  valuables  were 
divided  among  the  churches  of  the  Conflent,  and  the 
body  of  S.  Galderich  was  taken  to  Perpignan.  The 
tomb  of  the  founder  was  taken  to  Casteil,  but  the 
statue  has  disappeared.  Two  embroideries  are  in  the 
Hotel  Cluny  at  Paris,  and  one  remains  at  Casteil. 

The  church  has  nave  and  aisles,  west  door  and  two 
small  doors,  and  three  apses.  Two  massive  cruciform 
piers  divide  the  arcade  into  two  triple  groups  of 
columns,  and  there  are  also  two  columns  against  the 
apse.  This  upper  church  was  dedicated  to  S.  Martin 
of  Tours  ;  a  consecration  took  place  in  1009,  and 
another  in  1026.  The  columns  look  tenth-century, 
with  exaggerated  entasis  and  flatly  carved,  trapezoidal 
caps.  The  bases  are  square,  with  the  angles  softened, 
the  height  being — cap,  i  foot  2  inches ;  column,  about 
6  feet  ;  base,  4  inches  ;  total,  7  feet  6  inches.  The 
central  nave  is  about  10  feet  wide  and  20  feet  high, 
the  wall  above  the  nave  arcade,  2  feet  3  inches.  The 
aisles  are  6  feet  6  inches  wide,  and  over  14  feet  high  ; 
to  the  south  of  the  choir  is  a  second  aisle,  with  semi- 
circular vault.  The  nave  was  roofed  with  a  waggon- 
vault,  with  supporting  arches.  Above  the  arches  a 
wall  is  raised  to  weight  them,  with  a  chaining  of 
longitudinal  beams  sunk  in  it  ;  there  are  no  mouldings. 
The  structure  of  the  doors,  with  deeper  voussoirs 
towards  the  top,  and  the  Lombard  decoration  of  apse 
and  bell-tower,  suggest  Italian  influence. 

The  crypt  was  dedicated  to  the  Virgin.     It  is  less 

36 


282  S.   MARTIN   DU  CANIGOU 

than  10  feet  high,  and  has  the  pecuHarity  of  being 
6  feet  6  inches  longer  than  the  church.  There  are 
seven  piers  to  support  the  vaulting,  and  near  the 
three    equal    apses    are    two    heavy    columns.      The 

vaults  are  partly  quadripartite 
and  partly  waggon,  with  and 
without  supporting  arches. 
The  naked  rock  also  comes 
through  towards  the  north- 
east. There  are  scarcely  any 
windows,  and  those  of  the 
smallest,  and  I  had  to  wait 
some  time  before  my  eyes  were 
enough  accustomed  to  the 
gloom  to  walk  about  safely. 

The  upper  cloister  has  en- 
tirely disappeared,  though  the 
lower  one,  which  is  without 
architectural  importance,  re- 
mains, and  has  been  carefully 
restored  with  the  rest  of  the 
buildings.  Its  colonnettes 
PLAN  OF  CRYPT,  s.  MARTIN  DU   wcrc  Cylindrical  or  octagonal, 

CANIGOU.  1       ,1  1  J 

and  there  were  no  arches  ;  at 
least,  M.  Masso-Torrents  has  been  unable  to  find  a 
single  voussoir.  Capitals  are  scattered  about  the 
neighbourhood — in  chimneys  at  Casteil,  and  in  the 
bell-tower  and  other  parts  of  the  church,  and  in  houses 
at  Vernet-les-Bains,  and  M.  Masso-Torrents  says  they 


INCONGRUOUS   ADDITIONS  283 

are  used  in  the  doorways  of  cattle-sheds  near.  Alto- 
gether he  has  found  twenty-one  caps,  eight  colonnettes, 
and  thirteen  bases.  At  the  entrance  to  the  valley  is 
the  little  chapel  of  S.  Marti  Veil,  some  ten  minutes 
from  the  church.  From  above  the  Baths  at  Vernet- 
les-Bains  the  church  tower 
stands  out  clearly,  look- 
ing nearly  half-way  up  the 
mountain-side,  and  even 
in  its  restored  state 
matching  very  badly 
with  the  lawn  -  tennis 
courts,  the  obstacles  in 
the  steeplechase  course, 
and  other  preparations 
for  the  diversion  of  the 
English  visitors,  who 
are,  unfortunately,  finding 
their  way  to  Vernet-les- 
Bains,  and  will  soon  turn 
it  into  a  Pau  in  minia- 
ture, destroying  all  the 
local  flavour  which  is  so  attractive  in  these  out-of-the- 
way  places. 

The  first  time  we  visited  the  place  we  were  mis- 
directed, and  endeavoured  to  get  to  S.  Martin  from  the 
wrong  side  of  the  river,  following  a  path  which  gradually 
petered  out,  and  conducted  to  the  water-supply  of  tlie 
baths  in  the   valley  below.      We   thought   we  might 


PLAN    OF    S.    MARTIN    DU    CANIGOU. 


284  S.   MARTIN   DU  CANIGOU 

perhaps  be  able  to  ford  the  stream  a  little  higher  up, 
and  persevered,  but  some  men  who  were  at  work  on 
the  other  side   appeared  so  much  interested  in  our 
proceedings  that  we  became  bashful,  and  thought  it 
best  to  retrace  our  steps,  as  we  were  evidently  doing 
something  which  was  quite  unusual.     Returning  from 
S.  Martin  and  Casteil,  we  tried  a  short  cut  across  a 
field  upon  a  slope,  but  suffered  for  it,  for  the  field  was 
irrigated,  and  it  was  most  difficult  to  avoid  a  thorough 
wetting.     From   near   this   point   Vernet   itself — "  Le 
Vieux  Vernet  " — picturesquely  crowns  a  hill  a  little 
lower  down  the  valley.     It  is  a  place  of  considerable 
antiquity,  first  mentioned  in  874.     The  castle,  which 
is  the  most  prominent  object,  dominating  the  hill,  is 
mentioned  two  years  later,  but  the  existing  building  is, 
of  course,  much  less  ancient.     The  village  was  given 
by  Count  Guifred  and  his  wife  Guisla  to  the  Abbey  of 
S.  Martin  in  1009.     This  was  down  by  the  river,  where 
the  Church  of  S.   Saturnin   (mentioned  in  the  ninth 
century)  was  also.     At  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century   all  was   washed   away.     The  springs   of  the 
modern  baths  were  discovered  in  1832.     The  old  baths 
were  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  are  first  men- 
tioned in  1 186  ;  they  belonged  to  the  monastery. 

We  drove  back  to  the  railway  at  Villefranche  in  a 
very  short  time,  our  driver  having  his  famihar  beside 
him  on  the  box  in  the  shape  of  a  fine,  grave  black 
poodle. 

On  my  second  visit  I  found  a  pubhc  conveyance  for 


LE   VIEUX   VERNET  285 

Vernet-les-Bains  at  Villefranche,  and  entered  it.     As 
far  as  Corneilla  it  was  overfull  with  country  people, 
and  not  a  very  pleasant  place  in  consequence,  but  after 
that  the  ride  could  be  enjoyed.     I  don't  think  I  should 
recommend  the  excursion  to  St.  Martin  du  Canigou  to 
anyone  who  was  not  quite  strong  in  heart  and  head. 
The  long  ascent  is  very  trying,  and  for  a  good  part  of 
the  way  there  is  no  suggestion  of  wall  on  the  edge  of  the 
path,  and  the  rock  plunges  down  50  feet  or  so.     From 
Casteil  there  is  an  ascent  of  eighteen  zigzags  to  the 
total  height  of  1,045  metres.     The  views  down  into 
the  ravines  are  striking,  but  the  usual  spreading  of 
the  area  of  vision  by  ascending  to  a  height  is  neutralized 
by  the  narrowness  of  the  valley.     It  took  me  nearly 
an  hour  and  a  half  from  Le  Vernet  to  the  monastery, 
which  they  are  rebuilding ;   and  as  they  are  making 
cells   I  suppose  there  is   some  intention  of   using  it 
again  ;   the  church  is  prepared  for  service.     The  choir 
end  has  now  three  bays  on  the  old  columns  and  caps, 
then  a  tall  triumphal  arch,  then  a  nave  of  three  bays, 
with  only  two  columns  ;  nor  is  there  one  at  the  back 
of  the  triumphal  arch.     There  are  no  columns  to  the 
apse,  but  the  arch  has  two  orders,  and  there  are  no 
mouldings  anywhere.      The    aisles    are    also    barrel- 
vaulted,  without  supporting  arches. 

The  church  at  Le  Vieux  Vernet  was  the  chapel  to 
the  castle,  and  forms  part  of  the  striking  mass  which 
crowns  the  hill.  It  is  a  queer  little  place,  with  the 
choir  in  a  gallery  at  the  west  end,  and  a  lectern  in  the 


286  S.   MARTIN   DU  CANIGOU 

centre  of  it.  The  stalls  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
which  were  brought  from  S.  Martin,  are  poor  things, 
channelled  pilasters,  with  semicircular  heads  and 
triangular  ornaments  in  the  spandrils,  panelling  merely, 
and  continued  downwards  as  such  under  the  chancel 
arch.  There  are  two  interesting  things  in  the  church 
— a  very  archaic  churchyard  cross,  which  I  should  not 
be  surprised  to  find  was  late  eleventh-century,  and 
which  bears  a  certain  resemblance  to  some  Scandi- 
navian wood-carving,  and  a  painted  retable  with  a 
Christ  upright  in  the  tomb,  the  Virgin,  and  several 
saints  half-length;  five  panels  divided  by  buttresses 
beneath  low  ogee  foliated  arches,  with  the  spandrils 
pierced,  late  fourteenth-century.  The  ground  has 
been  gilded,  and  the  structural  features,  the  piercings 
and  panels  painted  red  or  blue.  Also  a  very  funny 
marble  rehef  of  the  Crucifixion,  Gothic  by  the  shape 
of  the  shields  and  the  lettering,  as  far  as  it  could 
be  seen,  but  entirely  without  accomplishment.  The 
church  has  a  pointed  barrel-vault,  chancel  arch,  and 
two  semicircular  deep  niches,  making  the  plan  cruci- 
form. The  outer  door  has  some  rough  ironwork 
related  to  the  Roussillon  manner,  and  is  studded  all 
over  with  nails.  The  sHding-bolt,  with  its  animal's 
head  and  surface  ornament,  is  rather  good. 


A   RATHER  DIRTY  TOWN  287 

Elne. 

Elne   is   a  rather   dirty  town,   with  a  good  many 
Spanish  characteristics,  lying  some  eight  miles  from 
Perpignan  towards  the  Spanish  frontier.     The  line  is 
bordered  by  high  trees  for  a  portion  of  the  distance, 
and  in  these  trees  nightingales  sing  so  loudly  at  sun- 
down as  to  be  well  heard  above  the  rattle  of  the  train. 
It  is  the  ancient  Illiberis,  first  mentioned  by  Athenaeus, 
who  cites  a  passage  of  Polybius,  now  lost.     Collioure, 
nine   miles   farther   on,    was   Caucoliberis,    and   both 
names  are  thought  to  be  Phoenician.     The  Via  Domitia, 
connecting  Italy  with  Spain,  passed  by  Narbonne  and 
Illiberis.     It  is  the  only  route  given  by  the  Tavola 
Peutingeriana  (iii  B.C.)  from  Gaul  to  Spain,  through 
Roussillon.     In  218  B.C.  Hannibal  camped  near  Ilh- 
beris  with  his  host,  waiting  till  he  had  permission  from 
the  GauHsh  chiefs,  gathered  at  Ruscino,  to  pass  through 
their  country.     Pomponius  Mela  calls  it  "  Vicus,"  say- 
ing that  it  had  once  been  a  rich  and  important  city. 
From  the  reign  of  Constantine  onward  it  acquired  the 
importance  which  Ruscino  had  enjoyed  for  500  years, 
and  was   then   called   "  Castrum   Helenae,"   from   his 
mother,  who  favoured  the  town.     The  modern  name 
is  a  contraction  from  this.     Here  Constans,  the  third 
son  of  Constantine,  was  murdered  by  order  of  Maxen- 
tius  in  A.D.  350. 

The    Roman    town    has    disappeared    beneath    the 
medieval  constructions,  themselves  scarcely  more  than 


288  ELNE 

ruins,  and  the  only  antique  remains  discovered  are  a 

few  medals,  amphoras,  and  fragments  of  pottery. 

The  Vandals  arrived  in  408,  and  the  Visigoths  six 
years  later.  They  established  themselves  in  Rous- 
sillon,  and  placed  their  capital  in  Toulouse,  Narbonne, 
Barcelona,  and  Toledo  in  succession. 

In  718  the  district  was  occupied  by  the  Arabs,  who 
held  it  till  760.  Elne  and  Collioure  are  the  only  towns 
of  the  district  large  enough  to  be  mentioned  by  the 
Arab  geographers.  The  first  Bishop's  name  known  is 
that  of  Domnus,  cited  in  571  by  the  Abbot  of  Biclar, 
his  contemporary,  in  his  little  chronicle.  The  Bishop 
of  Elne  does  not  appear  at  the  Council  of  Agde  (506), 
and  the  inference  is  that  at  that  date  there  was  none. 
This  early  bishopric  was  Arian.  In  589,  Bishop  Bene- 
natus  was  present  at  the  third  Council  of  Toledo, 
when  several  Visigothic  prelates  abjured  the  errors  of 
Arianism.  At  a  later  date  Councils  were  held  at  Elne 
itself  in  944,  1027,  1058,  1065,  and  11 14.  The  Bishop 
of  Elne  became  suffragan  to  the  Archbishop  of  Nar- 
bonne. 

In  1019  the  Canons  confided  the  administration  of 
their  estates  to  the  Archdeacon  Uzalgar  de  Castelnou, 
who  appropriated  them,  and  his  powerful  family  sup- 
ported him  with  arms.  Bishop  Raymond  excom- 
municated them,  and  they  were  attacked  by  his  brother, 
the  Count  of  Ampurias.  The  Bishop  returned  their 
property  to  the  Canons,  and  added  other  domains,  also 
fixing  their  number  at  twenty-four.      This  is  an   ex- 


THE  "TREUGA   DOMINI"  289 

ample  of  the  violence  which  even  Churchmen  had  to 
suffer  from  numbers  of  powerful  noble  families,  which 
reached  such  a  height  towards  the  middle  of  the  cen- 
tury that  a  general  assembly  of  ecclesiastical  and  lay 
lords,  held  at  Tulujas  or  Toulouges  (a  little  place  about 
a  league  from  Perpignan,  no  longer  existing),  in  1041, 
decreed  the  "Treuga  Domini"  (the  Truce  of  God),  for 
the  relief  of  the  people  from  pillage,  arson,  and  assas- 
sination. On  days  reserved  for  prayer  war  was  for- 
bidden. No  violence  was  to  be  committed  in  churches 
opposite  to  which  a  fortress  or  castle  had  not  been 
built,  and  in  cemeteries  or  other  holy  places  and  thirty 
paces  around,  on  pain  of  sacrilege.  Unarmed  clerks, 
monks,  nuns,  and  widows  were  to  be  free  from  attack, 
agricultural  beasts  were  not  to  be  seized  for  war,  and 
the  houses  of  peasants  and  clerks  who  were  armed  were 
not  to  be  burnt.  The  breaker  of  these  laws  was  to 
pay  double  the  damage  caused,  and  pass  the  ordeal  of 
cold  water  in  a  church.  If  a  murder  had  been  com- 
mitted on  a  feast  day  of  the  truce  (and  they  were  care- 
ful to  make  them  numerous),  the  culprit  was  con- 
demned to  perpetual  exile.  The  acts  of  this  Council 
(so  called  because  ecclesiastics  took  part  in  it)  were 
confirmed  by  the  Council  of  St.  Gilles,  September  4, 
1042.  They  throw  a  lurid  light  on  the  condition  of 
the  people  and  on  the  lawlessness  of  the  powerful. 

The  upper  and  lower  towns  of  Elne  were  both  wedled 
in  1 155,  at  which  time  the  Bishop  gave  the  citizens  a 
charter.     The   "  two  towns  "   of   I^^lnc   are   mentioned 

37 


290  ELNE 

by  historians  as  if  they  were  separate.  The  highroad 
to  Port  Vendres  now  marks  the  division.  Of  the 
lower  fortifications  only  one  bastion  remains,  due 
to  Charles  V.  ;  of  the  upper,  there  are  a  tower  or  two 
and  remains  of  three  of  the  gates. 

In  1285  the  town  was  ruined  by  Philippe  le  Hardi  ; 
in  1334,  Pedro  IV.  of  Aragon  besieged  it,  and,  while  the 
war-engines  were  attacking,  dissensions  broke  out  be- 
tween the  citizens,  the  garrison,  and  the  other  troops. 
While  they  were  fighting,  the  people  hauled  up  a 
number  of  Aragonese  by  cords,  who  opened  a  gate  to 
these  outside.  For  a  whole  day  the  Aragonese  and 
the  citizens  were  fighting  in  the  lower  town,  but  the 
citadel  surrendered  next  day,  and  the  King  of  Majorca 
had  to  submit  to  his  brother,  the  King  of  Aragon,  in 
consequence.  The  greatest  siege  the  place  endured 
was  in  1474.  Louis  XI.  of  France  having  occupied 
Roussillon  in  1462,  on  the  pretext  of  assisting  Juan  II. 
of  Aragon  against  the  Catalans  and  the  King  of  Cas- 
tille,  the  King  of  Aragon  raised  Roussillon  against  the 
French.  The  siege  lasted  for  five  months  and  a  half, 
and  when  the  town  was  taken  Louis  XI.  had  all  the 
officers  beheaded  as  traitors  to  the  King  of  France. 
In  1642  it  was  finally  taken  by  the  army  of  Louis  XIII. 

In  a  document  dated  917,  Bishop  Elmeradus  states 
that  no  one  had  been  able  to  find  record  of  the  conse- 
cration of  the  cathedral,  and  therefore  reconsecrated  it, 
the  Bishops  of  Carcassonne,  Carpentras,  and  Gerona 
being   present.     Projecting   beyond   the    apse    of   the 


THE  CATHEDRAL  291 

existing  building  is  a  portion  of  a  very  ancient  apse, 
apparently  of  tenth-century  work,  roofed  with  clumsy 
slabs  in  the  manner  of  a  semi-dome  about  8  feet  above 
the  ground,  with  slight  buttresses  of  large  worked 
blocks  against  a  wall  of  small,  irregular  stones,  and 
pierced  by  a  built-up  window  with  an  archivolt  of 
white  stone,  which  may  be  a  portion  of  the  crypt  of 
this  cathedral. 

In  1057,  Ermessinde,  Countess  of  Barcelona,  made  a 
bequest  of  150  "mancussi"  to  the  Chapter  of  S.  Eu- 
lalia  of  Roussillon,  and  fifty  to  the  Bishop  ;  so  work 
was  apparently  going  on  at  that  time.  A  high-altar 
was  dedicated  in  1069.  The  inscription  (in  Gothic 
characters),  recording  that  Gausfred  II.,  Count  of 
Roussillon,  with  his  vassals,  assisted  in  its  construc- 
tion, is  still  preserved  on  the  ends  of  the  present  altar. 
He  brought  the  rehcs  of  SS.  Eulaha  and  Julia  from 
Merida  on  his  return  from  a  pilgrimage  to  Compostella. 

The  tradition  is  that  the  present  building  was  erected 
by  Bishop  Berenguer  III.,  who  was  still  alive  in  1025  ; 
but  the  work  appears  to  be  100  years  later  than  that 
date.  The  plan  is  that  frequently  met  with  in  Pro- 
vengal  Romanesque  churches— a  nave  of  seven  bays, 
the  westernmost  occupied  by  a  gallery,  and  sunk  be- 
tween the  two  towers,  which  now  communicate  only 
with  the  aisles,  terminated  by  a  semicircular  apse 
lighted  by  two  windows,  between  two  smaller  apses 
which  terminate  the  aisles.  On  the  south  there  is  a 
later  row  of  chapels,  but  there  is  no  transept,     'llie 


292  ELNE 

vault  of  the  choir  and  central  apse  is  very  flat,  prob- 
ably to  allow  space  for  a  little  window  above  the  arch 
— a  detail  which  frequently  occurs  in  the  architecture 
of  the  South.  The  elevation  of  the  nave  also  resembles 
that  of  Provengal  churches.      There  is  no  triforium, 

and  a  round  waggon-vault 
starts    directly    above    the 
nave  arcade.    At  the  spring- 
ing of  the  vault  is  a  string- 
course  which   is  continued 
as  a   hood-mould  over  the 
arch  of  the   apse.      In  the 
three  eastern  bays  the  vault 
is  flattened,  in   the   others 
slightly    pointed,    but    the 
sustaining    arches    are    all 
slightly    flattened    semicir- 
cles.   The  piers  are  slightly 
out    of    the    perpendicular, 
which  often   occurs  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  but  of 
this   there  is  no  trace  ex- 
ternally.    Towards  the  west  the  piers  and  the  arches 
of  the  vault  do  not  match  ;  the  piers  are  arranged  for 
two  orders,  while  the  arches  have  but  one.     They  have 
pilaster  strips,   with  an  impost   moulding.      Towards 
the  east  they  have  engaged  columns,  with  caps  based 
on  the  Corinthian.     All  have  heavy,  unmoulded   oc- 
tagonal bases. 


PLAN    OF    THE    CATHEDRAL,    ELNE. 


INTERIOR   OF   THE    CATHEDRAL  293 

The  nave  arcade  is  of  two  orders.  The  north  aisle 
has  round  sustaining  arches  and  a  quarter-circle  vault. 
Along  the  wall  runs  a  blind  arcade,  apparently  an 
addition,  since  it  does  not  correspond  with  the  nave 
arcade.  Towards  the  west  the  arches  increase  in 
height.  This  apse  has  one  window  in  it.  The  southern 
apse  has  none,  but  there  is  an  oculus  in  the  wall  above 
the  vault.  Here  the  aisle  is  narrower.  In  the  three 
western  bays  the  vault  was  rebuilt  when  the  chapels 
were  added  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The  earliest 
chapel  is  of  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  ;  the  third  was 
in  use  between  1327  and  1341.  The  three  to  the  west 
were  finished  about  1448.  They  have  heavy  carved 
bosses  at  the  intersection  of  the  vaulting  ribs.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  aisle  the  bell-tow^er,  waggon- vaulted, 
originally  opened  both  to  aisle  and  nave  with  a  pointed 
arch.  On  the  other  side  is  the  dark  Chapel  of  Christ, 
or  De  la  Sanch,  with  pointed  vault.  Between  these 
chapels,  and  projecting  farther  into  the  nave,  is  a  fine 
vaulted  tribune,  mainly  of  the  fifteenth  century,  now 
occupied  by  the  organ.  At  one  time  there  were  altars 
in  it.  An  organ,  which  no  longer  exists,  is  mentioned 
in  1420  as  being  in  the  north  aisle,  near  the  high-altar. 
The  holy-water  basin  is  very  curious,  heavy,  and 
cylindrical,  and  with  a  large  acanthus-leaf  carved 
round  it  horizontally.  It  has  nine  internal  llutings, 
and  is  thought  to  be  an  antique  marble  fragment. 

In  the  Chapel  of  S.  Agnes  are  several  curious  paint- 
ings on  wood  and  on  leather,  apparently  of  the  fifteenth 


294  ELNE 

century,  and  of  Spanish  origin,  according  to  local 
tradition.  A  relief  shows  figures  of  ecclesiastics  attend- 
ing the  funeral  of  the  founder.  The  Chapel  of  the  Holy 
Sacrament  contains  a  fourteenth-century^  sarcophagus, 
with  the  Virgin  and  S.  John  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross 
upon  the  lid,  and  two  shields  charged  with  a  grifftn, 
like  those  on  the  sepulchral  slab  of  Petrus  Costa  in  the 
same  chapel  (f  1320),  perhaps  the  tomb  of  his  brother, 
who  was  Bishop  from  1289-1310.  In  the  Chapel  of 
S.  James,  at  the  end  of  this  aisle,  is  a  fourteenth- 
century  carving  of  the  Descent  from  the  Cross,  and 
in  the  sacristy  is  a  sixteenth-century  bell,  with  well- 
executed  pagan  subjects  in  relief,  and  a  fifteenth- 
century  reliquary  of  gilded  wood.  The  ancient  silver 
altar  appears  to  have  been  a  work  of  the  fourteenth 
century.  When  sold  to  the  Mint  of  Perpignan  in  172 1, 
to  be  used  for  coinage,  it  brought  in  10,347  livres 
16  sous.  The  church  also  had  carved  choir-stalls  of 
the  thirteenth  century  set  in  the  nave  in  the  Spanish 
manner,  but  they  and  the  treasure  had  disappeared 
when  the  Bishop's  seat  was  moved  to  Perpignan  in 
1602.  The  shrines  of  SS.  Eulaha  and  Juha  (added  as 
patron  saint  in  1320)  were  then  deposited  in  S.  Jean, 
a  chapel  in  the  transept  being  dedicated  to  them. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  Gothic  period  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  cathedral  was  planned,  with  radiating 
chapels  opening  from  an  ambulatory  made  by  prolong- 
ing the  aisles,  of  which  the  foundations  were  laid,  but 
the  walls  carried  up  only  a  few  yards.     The  apse  has 


THE   TOWERS  295 

an  ornamental  arcading,  and  bands  of  chequers  and 
lozenges  surround  it,  recalling  Auvergnat  work.  It  is 
buttressed  by  two  arches.  The  southern  tower  has 
buttresses  dated  1415,  but  the  main  building  is  of  the 
second  half  of  the  twelfth  century.  It  has  four  stories 
decorated  with  great  arcades,  and  is  constructed  of 
squared  stones  of  moderate  size,  each  story  slightly 
in  retreat.  It  is  probably  the  fortezam  built  in 
1 140  by  Bishop  Udalguer,  in  which  the  inhabitants 
took  refuge  in  1285,  but  were  massacred  nevertheless. 
The  northern  smaller  tower  is  of  brick,  a  modern  re- 
placement of  a  fifteenth-century  tower.  Both  of  them 
are  crenellated,  as  is  the  western  wall  of  the  nave  ;  but 
below  these  last  crenellations  may  be  seen  traces  of  a 
gable  with  an  arcade  beneath  it  and  a  window  of  an 
early  form.  Several  of  the  archivolts  are  of  black 
stone.  The  doorway  is  quite  simple  ;  that  in  the  south 
aisle  was  worked  over  in  1669. 

The  beautiful  cloister,  said  to  be  the  most  precious 
existing  monument  of  Roussillonais  architecture,  sadly 
damaged  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  restored 
a  few  years  since,  lies  to  the  north  of  the  cathedral. 
It  was  built  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  restored  in 
the  fourteenth.  The  letters  of  an  inscription  on  the 
third  pier  of  the  south  gallery  closely  resemble  those  of 
the  inscription  of  11 16  at  S.  Gilles.  De  Barthelemy 
quotes  it  as  complete  in  1857  :  ecce  qvam  salvtark 
PARiTER  FRATRES  HABiTARE  ;  but  tlie  letters  preceding 
salutare    are    certainly    not    vam,    and    tlic    piece    oi 


2o6  ELNE 

marble  ends  with  them  now.  The  cloister  is  men- 
tioned in  a  will  of  1240.  About  1375  it  was  being 
reconstructed,  and  the  vaults  are  of  this  period.  The 
plan  is  rhomboidal,  and  each  face  has  three  piers 
between  those  at  the  angles.  Upon  these  piers  great 
arches  rest,  beneath  which  are  three  smaller  arches 
resting  upon  twin  colonnettes.  Towards  the  walks  the 
arches  have  two  orders,  the  outer  one  a  hollow  with 
rosettes  and  other  ornaments.  The  vault  is  pointed, 
the  ribs  resting  upon  the  piers  and  on  brackets  in  the 
walls.  The  structural  parts  are  of  marble  of  Ceret — 
a  veined  white  marble  resembling  grey  cipollino — and 
the  colonnettes  are  monoliths.  It  seems  probable  that 
the  cloister  was  ruined  in  the  sack  of  1285.  When 
rebuilding  commenced,  the  west  gallery  was  built  with 
the  debris  ;  the  north  required  fresh  caps  and  bases, 
and  the  east  also.  On  the  south  and  the  first  bay  of 
the  west  the  vaults  only  were  remade.  In  the  west 
gallery  above  the  third  arch  from  the  south  there  are 
signs  of  alteration,  and  from  this  point  the  arches 
are  shghtly  larger.  Part  of  the  vaulting  arches  are 
pointed,  and  part  not,  and  there  are  other  signs  of  an 
earlier  vaulting  than  that  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
The  decoration,  carvings,  and  mouldings  belong  to 
several  epochs.  In  the  south  arcade  sculpture  and  base 
profiles  are  Romanesque,  in  the  west  Romanesque  mixed 
with  Gothic,  in  the  north  Gothic  only,  and  in  the  east 
Catalan-Gothic.  The  vaulting  brackets  in  the  west  and 
north  galleries  are  older  than  those  in  the  other  two. 


IN    THE    CLOISTER,    CATHEDRAL,    ELNE. 


38 


2q8  ELNE 

The  fourteenth-century  doorway  into  the  church  has 
alternate  voussoirs  of  red  and  white  marble,  richly 
moulded  ;  the  jambs  have  engaged  colonnettes  answer- 
ing to  the  mouldings  of  the  archivolt,  with  caps  of 
foliage,  human  heads,  and  fantastic  animals.  The 
door  itself  has  four  horizontal  iron  bands,  with  scrolls 
attached  above  and  below,  and  ornamental  nailheads. 
A  band  also  surrounds  each  leaf,  except  at  the  bottom, 
and  two  hanging  rings  on  a  circular  toothed  ornament 
serve  as  handles,  though  there  is  also  an  upright  handle 
and  a  lock.  The  arrangement  of  the  door  is  repre- 
sented on  one  of  the  early  carvings  of  the  piers,  sug- 
gesting that  it  is  earlier  than  the  doorway  in  which  it 
is  set. 

On  the  north  side  is  a  two-light  window,  the  ground 
falling  steeply  here.  Of  the  two  other  doors,  one  leads 
into  the  chapter-house,  now  used  as  sacristy,  and  the 
other  to  the  street  through  buildings  now  used  as 
Mairie.  The  substructures  consisted  of  cloistral 
apartments,  the  Chapel  of  S.  Laurence  (in  which  there 
are  traces  of  paintings),  and  passages  from  the  Canons' 
houses,  which  lay  to  the  north. 

There  was  a  school  connected  with  the  cathedral  at 
Elne  in  the  early  years  of  the  twelfth  century,  held  in 
the  cloister,  the  teachers  living  in  the  upper  story 
(destroyed  in  1827).  The  communal  school  is  now 
housed  close  by. 

The  shafts  are  very  varied  in  design — some  octa- 
gonal, many  twisted  and  channelled,  some  panelled  as 


THE  CLOISTER  290 

if  for  the  insertion  of  mosaic,  and  some  carved  with 
imbrications,  interfacings,  or  leaf  patterns,  the  last 
being  of  later  date.     All  the  bases  have  claws.     A  good 


TWIN    CAPS    FROM    CLOISTER,    CATHEDRAL,    ELNE. 

deal  of  diapering  appears  to  have  been  executed  on 
the  piers  in  the  fourteenth  century.  There  are  carved 
bosses  at  the  intersections  of  the  vaulting  ribs,  and 


ANGLE    OF   THE   CLOISTER,    CATHEDRAL,    ELNE. 


EFFIGIES   AND  SARCOPHAGI  301 

corbels  of  the  same  period  in  the  north  and  west  walks, 
the  south  and  east  sides  having  subject  panels  from 
the  Gospels.  The  Ascension  goes  on  into  the  corbel 
above.  Scripture  subjects  are  also  carved  on  the  piers 
and  caps  of  the  eastern  side.  In  the  corners  are  im- 
portant corbels,  figures  of  angels  writing  on  books  on 
little  stands,  with  the  Evangelists'  symbols  below. 
The  carvings  have  been  painted  and  lead  inserted  in 
the  eyeballs.  Towards  the  garth  the  arches  have  a 
simple  hollow,  and  a  corresponding  cornice  finishes  the 
marble  portion.  Above  it  is  now  a  shallow  brick 
parapet,  with  a  gutter  of  green  glazed  tiles  below  the 
tiled  roof.  The  walls  have  been  covered  with  cement, 
with  distressing  red  lines  ruled  on  it,  and  a  number  of 
interesting  reliefs  and  epitaphs  are  encrusted  in  them 
— ^twenty-three  inscriptions  of  the  twelfth  to  the  four- 
teenth centuries  on  granite  or  marble.  In  Roussillon 
it  was  the  usage  to  collect  the  bones  of  a  buried  person 
after  a  time,  and  put  them  in  a  hollow  made  in  a  wall, 
closed  by  a  small  slab  with  epitaph,  and  sometimes  an 
effigy  or  the  representation  of  absolution  before  burial. 
Some  of  these  are  such  slabs.  Here  is  also  an  early 
Christian  fragment  with  strigils,  the  monogram  of 
Christ,  and  a  laurel  crown  in  relief,  and  three  interest- 
ing sarcophagi  ascribed  to  the  sixth  century  by  M.  le 
Blant.  Also  two  effigies  of  Bishops  signed  by  the 
sculptor  Raymundus  de  Biaya.  One  of  them  is  of 
Guillaume  J orda  ( f  1 186) .  His  head  rests  on  a  cushion , 
his  hands  are  crossed  on  his  chest,  he  is  fully  vested, 


On  his  right  hand  is 


302  ELNE 

with  a  mitre  opening  forwards 
his  crozier  ;  the  arms  of  a  Httle  censing  angel  cross  it. 
The  inscription  is  in  six  upright  hnes,  all  terminating 
in  the  syllable  "  is,"  carved  once,  with  converging  lines 
from  the  ends  of  the  lines  of  letters.  Upon  the  cushion 
a  pattern  is  carved  ;  the  vestments  have  ornamented 
borders.  The  second  Bishop's  tomb-slab  is  marked  by 
the  same  treatment  of  the  draperies  in  many  narrow 
folds.     By   his   head   are   two   censing   angels  ;    their 


SIXTH-CENTURY    SARCOPHAGUS,    CLOISTER,    ELNE. 

censers  appear  on  the  upper  part  of  his  arms,  which 
are  crossed.  The  signature  runs  :  "  R.  f.  hec  opera 
de  Biaa."  A  third  tombstone,  very  similar,  was 
brought  from  a  monastery  near  by  the  French  Archaeo- 
logical Society.  It  represents  F.  du  Soler  (f  Decem- 
ber 17,  1203),  and  is  signed  by  the  same  sculptor. 
The  faces  in  all  these,  if  not  portraits,  at  least  resemble 
a  type  common  in  Aragon.  At  Arles-sur-Tech  is  an 
effigy   of   much   the   same   character,    which   will   be 


LE   BOULOU  303 

described  ;  and  the  statues  in  the  doorway  of  S.  Jean 
le  Vieux,  at  Perpignan,  are  treated  in  the  same  manner. 
It  is  a  curious  fact  that,  though  the  Bishop's  seat  is  at 
Perpignan,  he  is  still  known  as  Bishop  of  Elne. 

The  Valley  of  the  Tech. 

From  Elne  a  line  runs  up  the  Valley  of  the  Tech, 
which  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Monts  Alberes. 
To  the  right  one  sees  the  imposing  mass  of  the  Canigou, 
which  dominates  the  landscape  in  all  this  portion  of 
the  Pyrenees.  At  Le  Boulou  the  road  diverges  which 
leads  across  the  Col  de  Perthus  into  Spain — a  road 
which  may  have  been  Hannibal's  route  across  the 
Pyrenees,  and  upon  which  the  tower  called  the  Trophies 
of  Pompey  was  possibly  erected  to  commemorate  his 
conquest  of  Spain. 

At  Le  Boulou  there  is  a  Templars'  Church,  in  which 
a  good  deal  of  white  marble  is  used,  so  that  it  is  said 
to  be  built  of  it.  Actually,  however,  the  exterior  is 
mainly  rough-cast.  The  unmoulded  arch  of  the  door- 
way, defined  by  a  band  of  ornament,  rests  on  two 
colonnettes,  with  elegant  caps  showing  animals 
affronted.  At  the  height  of  the  abaci  is  a  chequered 
band,  and  they  stand  on  an  elevated  base.  The 
cornice  above  rests  on  a  frieze  carved  with  Scenes  from 
the  Nativity,  itself  borne  by  seven  corbels.  The  Magi 
are  costumed  as  late  eleventh-century  knights,  with 
hoods  on  their  heads.     The  Child  is  swaddled  like  a 


304  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE   TECH 

"  bambino."  The  subject  of  the  bath  of  the  Christ  Child, 
frequently  occurring  among  the  Byzantines,  but  rare 
in  the  West,  is  represented.  The  bath  is  like  an  oval 
washtub  ;  the  midwives  kneel  on  either  side  of  it. 
The  bell-tower  appears  to  have  been  restored  or 
perhaps  rebuilt. 

After  dinner  we  entered  a  cafe,  and  had  some  con- 
versation with  some  of  the  men  we  found  there.  We 
were  told  that  the  principal  produce  of  the  district  was 
wine,  corks,  and  fruit — the  last  sent  to  London  (!),  and 
"  very  profitable."  The  transit  occupies  three  days. 
We  wished  to  visit  the  little  chapel  of  S.  Martin  de 
Fenouillar,  and  made  inquiries  as  to  its  position  and 
the  possibility  of  getting  into  it  from  some  of  our 
acquaintances  at  the  cafe.  We  were  assured  that 
there  would  be  no  difficulty,  that  it  was  close  by  a 
farmhouse,  and  that  the  key  was  kept  there.  The 
next  morning,  when  our  carriage  came,  the  driver 
said :  "  You  won't  be  able  to  get  in  ;"  but,  fortified  by 
the  information  given  us  the  night  before,  we  assured 
him  that  we  should,  and  drove  cheerfully  away. 

After  passing  the  bathing  establishment  on  the  old 
highway,  the  road  diverged  to  the  right,  and  soon 
traversed  the  bed  of  a  stream.  To  our  surprise,  our 
coachman  turned  his  horses  along  its  course,  and  for 
some  distance  we  drove  in  the  river-bed,  the  water 
being  rather  over  a  foot  deep.  After  a  short  time  one 
of  the  traces  broke,  and  the  horses  came  to  a  stand- 
still, and  quite  declined  to  continue  their  course.     Our 


S.   MARTIN   DE  FENOUILLAR  305 

driver  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  however.  Off  came 
his  boots  and  socks,  and  with  trousers  rolled  up  as 
high  as  they  would  go  he  entered  the  water  and  led 
them  on,  getting  very  wet  in  the  process.  On  reach- 
ing land  he  was  distressed  to  find  that  one  of  his  socks 
had  floated  down  the  stream,  but  had  to  reconcile 
himself  to  its  loss.  When  we  arrived  at  the  farm,  we 
found  that  our  friend's  information  was  erroneous. 
There  was  no  one  about  the  place,  which  appeared  to 
have  been  left  in  charge  of  a  little  dog,  who  was  not 
unfriendly,  and  did  not  object  to  our  driver  entering 
the  house  and  looking  for  the  key  ;  but  we  had  to 
content  ourselves  with  looking  at  the  outside  of  the 
chapel,  which  adjoined  the  farm-buildings.  This  was 
very  disappointing,  as  the  walls  and  roof  are  covered 
with  early  medieval  paintings  resembling  those  at 
S.  Savin,  Vienna. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  chapel  is  probably  as  early 
as  the  ninth  century,  documents  of  844,  869,  and  878 
mentioning  a  sanctuary  here,  and  M.  Brutails  thinks 
it  is  perhaps  the  most  ancient  specimen  of  religious 
architecture  remaining  on  the  soil  of  Roussillon.  The 
plan  is  a  rectangle  11  feet  by  8  feet  long  from  east  to 
west.  The  walls  batter  from  the  base.  There  was  a 
cell  here  belonging  to  the  Benedictines  of  Arles-sur- 
Tech,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  monks  made  use  of  a 
similar  spring  to  that  at  the  baths  of  Le  Boulou.  In  a 
diploma  of  869  confirming  the  possessions  of  the  abbey 
the  Fountain  of  S.  Martin  is  formally  mentioned. 

39 


3o6  THE   VALLEY    OF   THE   TECH 

From  here  we  drove  on  to  S.  Genis  des  Fontaines,  a 
very  early  church  with  a  carved  hntel,  which  is  dated 
1020.  A  Benedictine  abbey  was  estabhshed  here  from 
Carohngian  times.  A  diploma  of  Louis  le  Debonnaire, 
of  819,  states  that  the  monastery  was  then  lately  estab- 
lished by  a  pious  person  named  Santimirius.     It  is  said 

that  the  Normans  destroyed 
it,  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  981 
under  Gausfred,  first  Count  of 
Roussillon,  and  with  his  help. 
In  1000  a  synod  or  provin- 
cial Council  was  held  here, 
presided  over  by  Aymeric, 
Archbishop  of  Narbonne.  In 
1507  Pope  Julius  II.  ordered 
that  the  abbey  should  be 
united  to  that  of  Montserrat 
Catalonia.       The    church 


m 


FLAN  OF  S.  GENIS  DES  FONTAINES. 


still  exists  as  a  parish  church, 
but  the  cloister  is  mostly  built  up,  and  serves  for 
storehouses  and  cellars.  The  plan  of  the  church  is  a 
Latin  Cross,  without  aisles,  nearly  70  feet  long  to  the 
triumphal  arch,  and  about  20  feet  broad,  the  height 
to  the  imposts  being  the  same.  The  apse  is  flanked 
by  eastward  chapels  rather  than  apses.  The  nave 
vault  is  a  barrel-vault,  slightly  pointed,  and  over  the 
crossing  it  continues  in  the  same  direction. 

The  nave  has  four  bays  of  sunk  arches  in  the  side 
walls,  and  round  arches  with  an  impost  at  the  crossing. 


S.   GENIS   DES   FONTAINES  307 

The  piers  of  the  first  arch  from  the  crossing  are  cut 
back  as  if  they  were  corbels.     There  are  no  mouldings 


HOLY-WATER    STOUP,    S.    GENIS    DES    FONTAINES. 

to  any  of  the  arches,  and  the  vault  is  only  marked  by 
imposts  on  the  piers.  The  round  vault  over  the 
sanctuary  is  much  lower  than  that  t)f  the  nave.     The 


3o8  THE   VALLEY    OF   THE   TECH 

only  carving  within  the  church  is  a  Httle  upon  the 
impost  in  the  westernmost  bay,  and  the  holy-water 
stoup,  which  consists  of  a  twelfth-century  cap  and  bit 
of  column  on  which  the  basin  is  placed.  The  altars 
and  altar-fittings  are  Renaissance  in  style.  The  fagade 
is  of  Ceret  marble  set  in  rough-cast,  with  sepulchral 
slabs  immured  in  the  wall  to  right  and  left.  The 
lintel  is  a  rather  irregularly-shaped  piece  of  marble 
about  7  feet  by  2  feet  4  inches.  The  inscription  which 
gives  the  date  is  just  below  the  upper  border.  It 
runs  : 

ANNO  VIDESIMO  QVARTO    RENNANTE  ROBERTO  REGE  WILIELMVS  GRATIA 

DEI     ABA     ISTA    OPERE     FIERI     IVSSIT    IN     ONORE     SANCTI    GENESII     QVE 

VOCANT   FONTANAS. 

Gallia  Christiana  says  positively,  however,  that  the 
church  was  consecrated  during  the  abbacy  of  Arnald 
Pons  (1114-1153).  The  decoration  consists  of  elaborate 
carving,  the  style  of  which  has  led  some  archaeologists 
to  date  it  later  than  the  year  given  by  the  inscription. 
In  the  centre  is  a  seated  figure  of  our  Lord  blessing,  in 
a  kind  of  oviform  aureole  supported  by  an  angel  on 
each  side.  An  arcade  of  three  horseshoe  arches  on 
each  side  contains  figures  of  saints — mere  dolls,  lacking 
in  both  proportion,  design,  and  execution.  The  in- 
scription runs  above  the  arches  only,  giving  the  centre 
figure  an  importance  in  size  and  position  which  makes 
it  certain  that  the  whole  of  the  carving  is  the  work 
of  the  same  period.  The  tablet  is  surrounded  by  a 
running  pattern  of  foliage,  which  is  the  best  part  of 


^ 


WKST    DOOR,   S.   GENIS    DES   FONTAINES. 


To  face  page  30S. 


S.   ANDRE   DE  S0R£DE  309 

the  carving,  both  in  design  and  execution,  and  betrays 
a  Byzantine  model.  The  waj^  the  corners  are  negoti- 
ated is  particularly  clever.  One  of  the  later  tomb- 
slabs  shows  a  border-pattern  plainly  suggested  by  this. 
The  door  itself  has  hinges,  with  long  bars  terminated 
wath  scrolls  in  the  Roussillonais  manner.  One  of  the 
bells  in  the  abbatial  bell-tower  above  the  crossing  is 
dated  145 i. 

The  wind  was  high  and  cold,  and  the  roads  dusty, 
but  we  persevered  with  our  programme,  and  drove  on 
to  S.  Andre  de  Sorede, 
which  possesses  a  lintel  a 
good  deal  like  that  at  S. 
Genis  des  Fontaines,  and  is 
the  site  of  one  of  the  most 
ancient  Benedictine  monas- 
teries in  the  South  of  France. 
It  was  founded  in  814,  Louis 
le  Debonnaire  took  it  under 
his  protection  in  830,  and 
accorded  it  full  and  com- 
plete immunity,  and  Charles 
the  Bald  confirmed  his 
grants  in  869.     The  original 

building  was  probably  erected  on  the  ruins  of  a  Roman 
temple  by  hermits.  In  iioo  the  monastery  was  gi\'en 
to  that  of  La  Grasse,  that  it  might  be  reformed.  In 
1592  PhiHp  II.  of  Spain  asked  for  it  to  be  united  to 
that  of  Aries  in  Vallespir  (Arles-sur-Tcch),  which  was 


PLAN    OF    S.    ANDKl'    DK    SOREDE. 


310  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE  TECH 

done  by  Clement  VIII.,  and  in  its  turn  that  was  united 
in  1722  to  the  Cathedral  of  Perpignan.  The  cloister 
has  disappeared,  and  of  the  church,  which  was  conse- 
crated in  1 121,  only  the  fagade  retains  its  original 
appearance,  the  rest  having  been  altered  during  the 
reign  of  the  Renaissance.  During  the  Middle  Ages  the 
apse  was  fortified. 

The  carving  on  the  lintel  finishes  with  a  border,  the 
pattern  of  which  is  based  upon  the  zigzag,  but  the 
forms  of  the  leaves  being  very  similar  to  those  at 
S.  Genis  des  Fontaines,  the  effect  of  the  ornament 
closely  resembles  that  just  described.  Here  the 
lintel  is  shallower,  the  Christ  is  enclosed  in  a  vesica- 
shaped  aureole,  the  top  and  bottom  of  which  are 
truncated.  The  arcade  of  horseshoe  arches  is  lower, 
and  the  first  arch  to  each  side  is  occupied  by  a 
six- winged  cherub.  The  figures  of  saints  are  half- 
length,  and  rather  better  carved,  and  the  design  of 
the  capitals  denotes  a  craftsman  who  is  beginning 
to  emerge  from  barbarism.  Higher  up  is  a  win- 
dow with  an  elaborate  band  of  ornament  round  the 
rectangular  portion.  Symbols  of  the  Evangelists 
occupy  roundels  at  the  angles  above  and  below, 
and  between  are  four  roundels  with  cherubs  above 
and  four  angels  with  trumpets  below,  two  in  each. 
The  sides  have  elaborate,  thistle-like  intertwinings 
between  bands  of  flattened  egg-and- tongue  mould- 
ing. Two  brackets  come  between  the  window  and 
the  door.      Above  the  window  is  a  blind  arcade  of 


.-  WittW^.IJ 


INTERIOR    OF   S.   ANDRfi  311 

ten  arches  in  couples  springing  from  pilaster  strips 
and  bracket  caps  alternately.  Into  the  central  space 
beneath  the  bracket  the  arch  of  the  window  tympanum 
breaks. 

The  interior  has  a  lofty  nave  of  three  bays  and  a 
half,  40  or  50  feet  high.  The  transepts  have  eastward 
apses,  and  the  sanctuary  consists  of  one  bay  and  the 
apse.  The  vault  is  a  round  waggon-vault,  with 
strengthening  arches  in  the  nave,  and  the  crossing  is 
a  continuation  of  the  nave-vault.  The  sanctuary  arch 
has  attached  columns  and  caps  carved  slightly.  The 
transepts  have  a  second  lower  arch  within,  which 
ranges  with  the  nave,  and  carved  imposts.  The 
arches  are  all  unmoulded. 

The  nave  piers  have  columns  attached  to  them, 
with  carved  caps  a  good  deal  perished  ;  but  the  two 
western  piers  are  without  columns,  and  have  only 
imposts.  They  stand  on  a  high  base  8  or  9  feet 
high,  with  a  kind  of  narrow  aisle  behind  them,  and 
transverse  arches  from  pier  to  pier,  some  of  which 
have  keystones,  and  a  little  arch  from  pier  to  wall, 
something  as  at  S.  Hilaire,  Poitiers.  Over  the  chancel 
arch  there  is  an  oculus.  There  are  three  windows 
in  the  apse — one  in  each  side  apse,  and  one  in 
each  transept.  The  fittings  are  Renaissance,  and 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  modern  coloured  decoration. 
The  holy -water  stoup  is  something  like  that  at 
S.  Genis  des  Fontaines,  supported  by  a  carved  cap 
and   a  shaft    diapered   like    some  of   the  columns  at 


312  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE   TECH 

Elne  ;  and  in  the  baptistery  chapel  is  a  fine  Roman 
inscription  on  a  base,  which  supported  the  slab  of 
the  high -altar  till  1681.  It  dates  from  a.d.  239, 
and  refers  to  Gordian  IIL,  created  Csesar  by  the 
Roman  Senate  in  238,  and  proclaimed  Augustus  by 
the  Pretorians  after  the  deaths  of  Balbinus  and  Pu- 
pianus.  On  January  i,  239,  he  renewed  his  tribunal 
power,  and  took  the  fasces  at  the  same  time.  Another 
inscription  mentions  decurions,  and  thus  suggests  that 
the  place  was  of  importance  and  populous.  The 
inscription  runs  : 


IMPCAESA"" 
M:  ANTONIO 
GORDIANO 
INVICTOAVG 
P.  M.TRIBVN 

POT .  ncos 

P.  P. 
DECVMANI 

NARBONENS 


Five  miles  up  the  valley  from  Le  Boulou  is  Ceret, 
where  tombs  have  been  discovered  bearing  signs  of 
remote  antiquity,  though  mention  of  it  commences  in 
the  ninth  century.  During  the  period  of  the  French 
occupation  (1641-1660)  this  town,  with  Ille  in  the  Tet 
Valley,  obtained  franchises  and  liberties  which  other 
towns  of  Roussillon  had  enjoyed  for  centuries.  It  was 
here  that  the  conference  between  representatives  of 
France  and  Spain  for  the  delimitation  of  the  frontier 
in  1660  was  held.      In  1282  the  people  were   allowed 


'*?«^--v-  I 


CERET  313 

to  have  four  annual  Consuls,  who,  however,  had  to 
receive  investiture  and  take  the  oath  between  the  hands 
of  the  lord  or  his  representative.  The  Commune 
appears  to  have  been  installed  in  130 1. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  in  the  place  is  the  great 
bridge,  which  used  to  be  considered  a  Roman  work, 
springing  with  its  mighty  curve  from  bank  to  bank 
70  feet  or  more  above  the  water  level.  It  was  built 
in  1321,  the  cost  being  mainly  borne  by  Ceret,  assisted 
by  contributions  from  several  Communes  in  the  upper 
valley.  The  width  from  abutment  to  abutment  is  full 
150  feet,  and  the  width  of  the  roadway,  which  looks 
very  narrow,  13  feet. 

The  most  imposing  view  is  from  the  bed  of  the  river. 
The  day  was  delightful,  and  the  water  and  sand  quite 
warm  to  the  feet  of  the  waders  who  scrambled  down 
the  steep,  bush-covered  banks  to  obtain  the  point  of 
view  of  the  drawing.  There  is,  of  course,  the  usual 
story  about  the  devil  in  connection  with  it.  In  this 
case  a  black  tom-cat  with  a  tin  tied  to  his  tail  was  the 
victim,  the  rattle  of  the  tin  sounding  like  armour,  and 
suggesting  the  advent  of  a  knight  ! 

In  the  market-place  is  a  pretty  little  fountain  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  known  as  the  fountain  of  the  nine 
jets.  The  west  door  of  the  church  is  also  late  fourteenth- 
century  in  a  Renaissance  setting.  Close  by  are  a  few 
inscriptions  let  into  the  wall,  one  of  which  (in  Catalan) 
gives  the  date  1398  for  its  making.  The  church  itself 
is  dated  1750  b\-  an  inscription.     The  interior  is  badly 

40 


314  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE   TECH 

painted  up,  but  tolerably  well  proportioned  in  classic 
fashion.  The  plan  is  a  Latin  cross,  with  a  central  dome  ; 
but  two  of  the  bells  are  medieval — one  dated  1318, 
and  one  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  Porte  du  Barry 
has  two  large  round  towers  flanking  the  gate,  which 
appear  to  be  original,  but  are  much  disfigured  with 
rococo  ornament  in  the  style  of  the  adjoining  house. 
The  boulevard  outside  is  pleasant  and  shady,  with 
enormous  plane-trees,  under  which  many  seats  are  set. 

In  the  canton  traditions  going  back  to  early  medieval 
times  are  still  current,  such  as  fairy-tales  relating  to 
fountains,  belief  in  miraculous  cures,  the  preparation 
of  medicaments  at  full  moon,  etc.  The  peasant  still 
points  out  the  gigantic  horseshoe  mark  of  the  hippo- 
griff,  the  horse  of  Roland,  and  souvenirs  of  his  doings 
are  to  be  seen  here  and  there. 

On  the  way  to  the  station  we  passed  a  yard  full  of 
graet  bundles  of  virgin  cork,  the  preparation  of  which 
is  one  of  the  industries  of  the  place.  The  cork  is 
worked  wet,  and  is  cut  in  squares  first.  Men  do  this, 
and  also  work  the  machines,  which  deal  with  unusual 
sizes.  Thirty  girls  or  more  work  in  a  large  room, 
tending  the  machines  which  twist  the  corks  round  as 
the  knife  moves  up  and  down.  In  another  yard  a 
number  of  men  sat  at  work  on  the  string  sandals 
which  are  so  much  worn,  each  astride  of  his  bench, 
hammering  at  the  closely  -  coiled  string,  which  is 
threaded  through  the  sole  to  fix  it. 

Five  miles  farther  up  the  valley,  which  has  con- 


AMfiLIE   LES   BAINS  315 

tracted  and  taken  the  name  of  Vallespir  ("  vallis 
aspera"),  is  the  bathing-station  of  AmeHe-les-Bains, 
which  was  known  as  Bains  d' Aries,  or  Bains-sur-Tech, 
until  Queen  Amelie,  the  Consort  of  Louis  Philippe, 
took  a  **  cure  "  here  in  1840.  The  ancient  name  is 
unknown,  but  portions  of  the  Roman  baths  are  still  in 
use,  which  proves  that  the  hot  springs  were  known  in 
antiquity,  and  the  name  of  Arulae,  which  has  been 
assigned  to  Arles-sur-Tech,  more  probably  belongs  to 
it.  They  were  abandoned  when  the  barbarians  in- 
vaded the  country.  Charlemagne  gave  them  to  the 
Benedictines  towards  the  end  of  the  eighth  century, 
and  they  were  in  their  hands  imtil  the  Revolution. 
They  then  became  the  property  of  the  Commune, 
which  sold  them  in  1813.  Fortunately,  the  purchaser 
had  sense  enough  to  preserve  the  great  hall  and  a 
smaller  one  adjoining  with  a  piscina  in  the  centre. 
Other  substructions  have  been  discovered  near  by 
excavation,  but  the  interest  of  the  place  lies  mainly 
(for  the  healthy)  in  the  surroundings.  The  climate  is 
very  mild,  and  the  baths  are  a  good  deal  frequented 
even  in  winter.  The  town  is  situated  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Tech  and  the  Mondony  at  the  foot  of  the 
Fort-les-Bains,  constructed  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV. 
A  dam  connected  with  one  of  the  bathing  establish- 
ments is  known  as  "  Hannibal's  Wall,"  and  over  it 
the  Mondony  falls  in  a  cascade.  Beyond  it  the  wild 
gorge  through  which  the  stream  flows  has  a  footpath 
arranged   which   enables   the   pedestrian    to   view   its 


3i6  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE  TECH 

windings  at  his  ease,  but  somewhat  detracts  from  the 
wildness  of  the  scenery.  Lower  down  a  high  footbridge 
crosses  the  ravine  to  the  mihtary  hospital — the  largest 
military  thermal  establishment  in  France — and  the 
adjoining  pleasant  shady  promenade.  Above  the  fort, 
on  the  mountain-side,  a  splendid  view  of  the  snow- 
crested  Canigou  opens  out,  while  far  below  the  Tech 
frets  and  fumes  in  its  rocky  bed,  and  the  houses  of 
Palalda  strewn  on  the  hillside  are  emphasized  by  one 
or  two  round  towers  to  remind  one  that  this  is  a  frontier 
district  in  which  much  fighting  once  took  place. 

The  way  to  this  village  lies  across  an  ancient  bridge 
which  has  been  considered  Roman,  thrown  across  the 
foaming  torrent  from  a  rocky  abutment  of  grey  stone 
to  one  of  a  vivid  red  ;  and  then  along  the  bank,  where 
the  stream  spreads  wide  and  shallow,  bordered  with 
willows  and  sallows.  The  village  is  a  queer  httle 
place,  most  of  the  streets  being  rough  stairs,  as  at 
San  Remo,  and  other  towns  on  the  Itahan  Riviera, 
but  rougher.  The  situation  on  the  slopes  of  the  hill  is 
fine,  and  the  two  round  towers  which  remain,  and 
crown  the  confused  pile  of  buildings,  give  a  distinction 
to  the  mass  which  the  church  crouching  beneath  the 
rocks  fails  to  afford.  The  west  front  is  partly  natural 
rock,  not  even  trimmed  ;  the  doorway  is  rectangular, 
with  a  roll  moulding  at  the  angle,  stop-chamfered 
below,  and  an  arch  and  tympanum  above  flush  with 
the  wall.  Above  is  an  oculus,  with  the  same  roll  at 
the  angle.     The  interior  is  vaulted,  with  a  flat-arched 


si^-.i' 


%] 


\   ■#;-■;■.* 


,'  >^ 


3i8  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE  TECH 

barrel-vault  with  three  supporting  arches  and  a  quadri- 
partite ribbed  vault  over  the  sanctuary.     At  the  west 
end  is  a  choir   gallery,   and  to  the  south  are  three 
chapels  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall  apparently,  as  are 
the  four  to  the  north.     All  have  suffered  from  late 
decoration.     The  altar-piece  of  the  high-altar  is  Re- 
naissance in  style,  with  figures  in  niches  and  an  archi- 
tectural crowning  feature  with  a  great  deal  of  gilding. 
There  are  only  two  or  three  little  windows,  so  that  the 
church    is    dimly  lighted.     Behind    the    altar    is    the 
sacristy,  from   which   we    saw   the   priest   emerge    to 
church  a   woman  who  knelt  before   the   altar.     The 
most  interesting  thing  about  the  church  is  the  door, 
which  appears  to  have  been  rebuilt  in  the  course  of 
the  last  200  years.     The  ironwork  is  applied  to  door- 
leaves  of  chestnut,  and  time  has  covered  it  with  a  fine 
brown  patina.     It  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  Rous- 
sillon  doors,   and  bears  no  less  than   113  channelled 
volutes.     The  heavy  rings  are  riveted  to  a  half- sphere 
fixed  on  to  the  wood  by  a  flat  circle  pierced  with  holes. 
A  number  of  horseshoes  are  nailed  on  in  blank  spaces. 
There  is  a  door  at  Belpuig  very  hke  it.     They  probably 
date  from  the  thirteenth  century.     The  two  leaves  of 
the  door  are  generally  designed  separately,  and  do  not 
exactly  match  as  in  this  case.     Palalda  is  a  contrac- 
tion of  Palatium  Dani,  and  the  village  appears  to  date 
from  very  early  times,  since  Celtiberian  medals  have 
been  found  here. 

On  the  mountain  we  found  box  growing  wild  to  some 


liOOK    ol      THI';   (  IICKCII,    l'AI.\l.|)\. 


'I'll  faci;  page  31  £ 


ARLES-SUR-TECH  319 

size,  a  large  flowering  lavender,  a  broom  with  the 
growth  of  furze,  cistus,  several  sages,  and  other  aromatic 
plants,  which  filled  the  air  with  fragrance.  Round 
about  Amelie,  and  specially  on  the  road  to  Ceret, 
which  runs  beneath  the  pleasant  shade  of  an  avenue 
of  trees  for  a  considerable  distance,  many  of  the  houses 
have  outside  stairs,  with  vine  pergolas  shading  them 
and  the  terraces  to  which  they  lead,  reminding  one  of 
similar  houses  seen  in  Italy  in  previous  years. 

A  couple  of  miles  or  so  farther  up  the  valley  lies 
Arles-sur-Tech,  a  quaint  little  town  in  which  it  is  said 
that  the  Catalonian  manners  and  customs,  including 
the  characteristic  dances,  are  preserved  better  than 
anywhere  else  in  this  part  of  the  French  Pyrenees. 
It  appears  to  have  owed  its  foundation  to  a  Benedictine 
abbey  established  here  in  ']']'^.  Tlie  Church  of  S.  Marie 
was  not  finished  when  it  was  consecrated  in  1046  or 
1048,  and  a  second  consecration  took  place  in  1157,  at 
which  Berenger,  Archbishop  of  Narbonne,  officiated, 
assisted  by  Artal,  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese,  and  the 
Bishops  of  Gerona,  Barcelona,  and  Vich.  It  has  a 
nave  of  five  bays,  vaulted  with  a  pointed  barrel-vault, 
through  which  round  -  headed  windows  are  pierced. 
The  height  of  the  nave  is  55  feet,  and  the  length  about 
145  feet.  The  nave  arcade  has  tall  round  arches,  with 
imposts,  but  no  other  moulding  but  the  string-course 
at  the  starting  of  the  vault.  A  second  lower  row  of 
round  arches  belonging  to  the  aisles  has  a  second 
impost  going  half  across  the  pier — a  very  extraordinary 


THE  CHURCH  321 

arrangement  which  has  been  explained  as  the  result  of 
the  later  vaulting  of  the  nave,  the  second  half  of  the 
piers  having  been  added  at  that  time  by  way  of  buttress. 
Over  the  sanctuary  is  a  small  bay  of  a  height  between 
that  of  the  nave  and  of  the  aisles,  the  string  at  the 
springing  of  the  vault  being  omitted.     The  arch  of  the 
apse  has  two  orders,  and  the  choir  is  now  arranged 
behind  the  high-altar.     The  south  aisle  terminates  in 
a  small  apse,  the  high  round  arch  of  which  is  level 
with  the  sanctuary  arch,  and  also  has  two  orders.     The 
aisles  are  vaulted  with  a  round  barrel-vault.     In  the 
south  aisle  are  two  big  chapels  with  unmoulded  round 
arches,  and  impost  mouldings  on  the  piers,  but  with 
quadripartite  ribbed  vaulting  and  an  uncarved  central 
boss.     They  are  lighted  by  pointed  traceried  windows. 
The  north  aisle  has  a  square-ended  apse,  with  a  round 
barrel-vault,  becoming  pointed  beyond  the  sanctuary 
arch.     Here   are   three   chapels   with  pointed  arches, 
imposts,  and  vaults  like  the  other  side,  and  with  oculi 
in  the  north  wall  beneath  the  vault.     At  the  west  end 
is  an  organ  gallery,  and  the  piers  are  decorated  with 
various  rehefs,  partly  gilded.     Among  the  subjects  are 
the  Ascension,  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  the  Resur- 
rection, Crucifixion,  and  Adoration  of  the  Kings ;  the 
Annunciation,    Pentecost,    and    Madonna,    with    two 
monk-saints  in  three  rows  ;  and  the  Nativity.     There 
has  been  a  good  deal  of  Renaissance  alteration  in  the 
fittings. 

The  chapel  next  the  door  in  the  south  aisle  is  dedi- 

41 


322  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE   TECH 

cated  to  SS.  Abdon  and  Sennen,  and  has  a  large  gilded 
and  carved  reredos  dated  1640.  Another  of  rather 
earlier  date  is  in  one  of  the  other  chapels.  The  reli- 
quaries of  the  saints  are  behind  a  sliding  panel  in  this 
seventeenth  -  century  reredos.  The  priest  hghted 
candles  and  put  on  a  surplice  before  showing  them  to 
us,  for  their  exposition  is  considered  to  be  a  religious 
act,  and  several  peasants  who  were  in  the  church  came 
and  knelt  before  the  altar.  The  reliquaries  are  of 
silver  parcel  gilt,  with  the  faces  painted,  and  look  like 
work  of  late  fourteenth-century  goldsmiths.  Tradition 
asserts  that  they  were  the  gift  of  a  King  of  Aragon,  but 
tradition  does  not  agree  with  documentary  evidence, 
for  by  the  inscriptions  on  the  bases  they  are  proved  to 
be  the  work  of  Michel  Alerigues,  goldsmith  of  Per- 
pignan,  and  to  have  been  paid  for  by  the  Confra- 
ternity of  the  Saints,  Abdon  in  1425,  and  Sennen  in 
1440.  Above,  in  a  painted  shrine,  are  the  greater 
relics,  which  are  carried  in  procession  round  the  town 
on  July  13  or  14.  The  church  has  the  peculiarity  of 
having  the  apse  turned  westward,  so  that,  though  I 
have  described  it  in  the  usual  way  in  relation  to  the 
choir  and  apses  to  avoid  confusion,  the  points  of  the 
compass  must  be  understood  as  reversed. 

The  fagade  is  of  the  eleventh  century.  The  lintel  is 
of  a  gabled  form,  with  two  A's  upon  it,  and  an  A  and 
Q,  with  a  consecration  cross  apparently  in  a  semicircle. 
Above  it,  set  in  a  tympanum  of  plaster,  is  an  early 
cross  with  our  Lord  in  a  vesica  in  the  middle,  and  the 


THE   FACADE  323 

symbols  of  the  Evangelists  in  circles  on  the  arms. 
The  ornamented  hood-mould  is  of  the  twelfth  century  ; 
on  each  side  are  small  reliefs  of  lions  with  victims, 
much  deteriorated.  Above  is  a  small  round-headed 
window  surrounded  by  a  band  of  fiat  ornament  which 
looks  earlier.  An  unmoulded,  shallow,  round-arched 
arcading,  with  the  base-line  about  on  a  level  with  the 
little  window,  runs  across  the  fagade,  cut  into  by  a 
seventeenth-century  window  in  each  aisle.  In  the 
gable  is  another  band  of  arcading,  with  colonnettes 
and  caps,  two  on  each  side,  the  space  in  the  centre 
occupied  by  a  great  modern  pointed  window,  with  a 
Renaissance  cornice  above  it.  On  a  shaft  of  one  of 
these  arches  to  the  right  are  cut  the  names  of  Amehus 
Maurellus  and  Clodesindus,  monks,  who  are  supposed 
to  have  built  the  fagade. 

Against  a  wall  at  right  angles  to  this  fagade,  on  the 
left,  is  a  curious  figure  of  the  early  thirteenth  century 
(for  on  the  slab  with  the  Divine  hand  is  the  epitaph  of 
Guihaume  Gaucelme,  Knight,  of  Taillet,  who  died  in 
1210  or  1211),  with  arms  crossed  on  the  chest,  and  hair 
and  drapery  expressed  by  parallel  lines.  Above  it  is 
a  cross  with  the  hand  of  God  upon  it  and  an  inscrip- 
tion, and  at  each  side  a  praying  or  adoring  angel,  the 
whole  arranged  as  a  Latin  cross,  and  the  technique 
resembling  figures  in  the  cloister  at  Elne  already 
described.  Below  it  is  a  sarcophagus  attributed  to 
the  fifth  century,  which  appears  to  secrete  water.  The 
priest  told  us  tliat  lie  had  seen  the  water  drawn  off, 


324  THE   VALLEY   OF   THE  TECH 

and  that  some  people  say  that  it  is  miraculous.  As  to 
that  he  expressed  no  opinion,  but  that  the  water  ap- 
peared in  the  sarcophagus,  which  is  isolated  from  the 
wall  and  raised  above  the  ground,  is  indubitable.  The 
amount  has  been  ascertained  to  be  not  less  than 
300  litres  per  annum.  An  episcopal  decree  of  late 
years  has  prohibited  the  use  of  the  Uquid,  to  which 
supernatural  curative  properties  were  ascribed,  but 
again  the  priest  told  us  that  cures  had  been  affected 
to  his  knowledge,  probably  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
cures  at  Lourdes.  At  S.  Seurin,  Bordeaux,  is  a  sarco- 
phagus which  fills  with  water  in  the  same  way,  and 
another  at  Dax. 

The  central  apse  has  a  pointed  window  cut  into  the 
arcading  which  decorated  it  externally.  The  bell- 
tower  is  square,  to  the  right  of  the  choir.  Its  round- 
headed  windows  have  engaged  colonnettes.  The 
cloisters  are  entered  from  the  left  aisle.  The  arcade 
is  of  pointed  arches,  with  simple  mouldings  supported 
on  slender  coupled  columns.  It  was  built  by  Abbot 
Raymond  Desbac,  who  died  in  1286  ;  his  epitaph  says, 
FECIT  CLAUSTRAM.  It  was  commenced  in  1261,  but 
looks  100  years  older.  The  buildings  round  it  are  now 
inhabited  by  the  poorer  classes,  and  the  walks  are  alive 
with  children,  the  central  garden  being  defended  with 
wire  netting.  Many  medieval  mortuary  inscriptions 
are  encrusted  in  the  walls  both  of  S.  Marie  and  S. 
Sauveur,  the  other  important  church,  as  well  as  in 
walls  elsewhere.     At  the  latter  church  there  is  a  strange 


NARBONNE  325 

bell-tower,  with  openings  at  the  top  which  look  almost 
like  casemates.  Below  are  two  two-light  window?^, 
with  round  arches  and  central  colonnette,  the  cap 
being  uncarved,  and  the  rest  of  the  surface  absolutely 
plain.  It  has  an  eleventh-centur}'  bell  in  the  belfry, 
and  on  the  top  are  two  bells  hung  in  ornamental  iron- 
work, as  at  the  Cathedral  of  Perpignan  and  other 
churches  in  the  district. 

A  little  farther  up  the  valley  the  scenery  becomes 
very  wild,  and  here  one  meets  women  bending  beneath 
huge  bundles  of  wood  which  they  have  cut  and  gathered 
from  the  mountains.  The  stream  foams  against  the 
rocks  which  obstruct  its  course,  and  seems  to  threaten 
to  destroy  the  frail  bridges  which  are  thrown  across  it 
even  when  the  river  is  not  in  flood.  About  half  an 
hour  away  is  a  gorge  in  the  limestone  rock  nearly  a 
mile  long,  known  as  the  Gorge  de  la  Fou,  where  the 
torrent  dashes  through  a  narrow  channel  at  the  bottom 
of  a  rocky  chasm  525  feet  high,  and  but  16  feet  wide. 


Narbonne. 

Narbo  was  a  flourishing  town  as  early  as  the  fifth 
century  B.C.  It  was  the  capital  of  the  Voices  Tecto- 
sages,  and  appears  to  owe  its  name  to  the  Phoenicians, 
who  created  the  port.  After  the  Roman  conquest  it 
became  the  administrative  centre,  and  the  adjective 
"  Martins  "  was  added  to  its  name,  because  of  the 
industry  of  purple  dyeing  which  was  carried  on  there, 


ROMAN    ROADS  327 

the  colour  being  sacred  to  Mars.  The  Gaulish  town, 
increased  by  a  Roman  colony  in  116  B.C.,  was  sur- 
rounded by  lagoons,  at  the  bottom  of  a  gulf  which  was 
silting  up.  By  turning  a  branch  of  the  Aude  into  it 
the  channel  was  scoured,  and  it  remained  an  important 
maritime  town  till  the  fourteenth  century.  It  gave  its 
name  to  Gallia  Narbonensis,  and  occupied  a  rising 
ground,  of  which  part  only  was  enclosed  in  the  walls 
hastily  thrown  up  in  the  fifth  century  a.d. 

The  city  is  traversed  by  the  Domitian  Way,  which 
came  from  Beziers  by  the  Etang  de  Capestang  to  a 
bridge  named  Pont  Serme,  the  boundary  of  the  Com- 
mune of  Narbonne.  Making  an  angle  here,  it  went 
straight  to  the  city,  crossed  the  broad  arm  of  the  Aude 
by  a  bridge  of  which  the  archaeologists  of  the  last 
century  said  they  had  seen  the  remains  at  very  low 
water,  and  several  dead  arms  by  other  structures  which 
are  still  recognizable.  The  milestones,  or  rather  pillars, 
to  indicate  the  road  during  flood  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
fields  which  border  the  road,  showing  that  it  was  30 
Roman  feet  broad.  It  passed  in  front  of  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  where  it  has  been  explored,  and  the  pave- 
ment found  8  feet  below  the  modern  level.  The  stones 
are  polygonal,  about  a  foot  thick,  and  with  deep  ruts 
worn  in  them.  The  drain  which  ran  down  the  middle 
beneath  the  paving  has  been  again  made  serviceable. 
It  then  passed  over  a  bridge  of  seven  arches,  which 
still  exists.  The  first  Acts  mentioning  it  call  it  Pons 
Vetus  ;  afterwards  it  is  called  Pons  Mercatoruin,  l)e- 


328  NARBONNE 

cause  shops  had  been  built  upon  it  after  the  bed  of  the 
river  had  been  narrowed.  The  width  of  the  one  free 
arch,  shown  in  the  illustration  (beneath  which  the 
Canal  de  la  Robine  passes),  appears  to  have  been  14 

T 


CANAL    DE    LA    ROBINE    AND    ROMAN    BRIDGE,    NARBONNE. 

or  15  feet.  The  others  are  now  cellars  to  houses  built 
in  the  bed  of  the  river.  In  1879  excavations  discovered 
the  base  of  a  temple  of  Jupiter,  which  had  been  in  the 
capitol.  Of  the  many  fine  buildings  of  the  Roman 
city,  the  only  remains  are  the  architectural  fragments 


DIVISIONS   OF  THE  CITY  329 

in  the  Musee  Lamourguier,  found  when  the  fifth-cen- 
tury walls  were  demolished  in  1872.  Among  these  is 
an  inscription  proving  that  in  ancient  Narbonne  there 
was  a  tavern  with  the  sign  of  the  Gallic  cock. 

The  Visigoths  established  themselves  in  Narbonne  in 
413,  and  retained  possession  of  the  city  till  719,  when 
it  was  taken  by  the  Saracens  after  a  siege  of  two  years. 
The  fortifications  were  then  strengthened  still  further 
to  such  purpose  that  Charles  Martel  failed  to  take  it, 
and  Pepin's  troops  only  entered  in  759  through  treason. 
In  817,  under  Charlemagne,  Narbonne  became  the 
capital  of  Septimania,  or  Gothia,  and  was  divided  into 
three  parts.  The  first,  the  Cite,  remained  the  Arch- 
bishop's ;  the  second,  the  Bourg,  was  given  to  the 
Viscounts  (who  were  hereditary  from  878) ;  the  third, 
called  Villeneuve,  was  abandoned  to  the  Jews,  who 
governed  themselves,  built  synagogues,  and  opened 
schools.  Their  University  was  famous  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  The  cathedral  and  the  adjoining  portions  of  the 
Knoll  occupy  the  site  of  the  Cite.  The  rest  is  still 
called  Mont  Judaique.  The  Jews  were  driven  out  of 
Narbonne  by  successive  edicts  of  Philippe  le  Bel,  and 
this  was  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  decay  of  the 
town.  Further,  in  consequence  of  the  bursting  of  a 
dam  in  1320,  the  branch  of  the  Aude  took  its  old 
course,  and  the  port  silted  up. 

Narbonne  had  its  own  Viscounts  at  one  time,  sub- 
sequently belonging  to  the  Counts  of  Auvergne  and  of 
Toulouse,   with   the   remainder   of  whose  domains   it 

42 


330  NARBONNE 

passed  to  the  Crown  of  France  in  1507.  The  Con- 
sulate of  Narbonne  appears  for  the  first  time  in  1226. 
In  tlie  year  before  the  city  concluded  a  treaty  with 
Savona,  and  the  Viscount  and  the  Archbishop  appear 
in  it,  and  also  the  people  represented  by  a  syndic. 
After  1226  the  Consuls  are  always  parties  to  treaties. 

The  Cathedral  of  S.  Just  was  commenced  in  1272  by 
Archbishop    Maurin.     The    year    before    Gregory    X. 
granted  indulgences  for  its  reconstruction.     In  1289, 
Nicholas  IV.  accorded  similar  favours  to  those  who 
visited  the  Chapel  of  S.  Pierre,  then  newly  built.     It 
was  in  this  chapel  that  Archbishop  Maurin  had  laid 
the  first  stone.     The  choir  was  commenced  under  Gilles 
Aycelin,  Archbishop  1290-1311.     The  Archbishop  had 
to  overcome  the  opposition  of  the  Canons  to  the  chosen 
site,  and  did  so  by  the  arbitration  of  Bertrand  de  ITsle, 
Bishop  of  Toulouse,  who  commenced  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  his  cathedral  the  same  year.    The  two  buildings 
so  closely  resemble  each  other  in  plan  that  they  are 
probably  due  to  the  same  architect.     At  Narbonne  the 
work  progressed  more  rapidly  than  at  Toulouse,  and 
about  1340  the  choir  was  finished.     The  eastern  walls 
of  the  transepts,  which  were  flanked  by  two  square 
towers,  half  bell-towers,  half  donjons,  were  added  about 
1480.     At  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  work  was 
stopped.     A  nave  was  commenced  between  1703  and 
1719,  but  never  completed.     The  style  of  the  choir  is 
advanced,  and  if  those  of  the  cathedral  at  Toulouse 
and  Notre  Dame  de  Rodez,  commenced  in  1273,  and 


THE  CATHEDRAL  331 

imitated  from  it,  were  not  known,  it  would  be  thought 
to  be  late  fourteenth-century.  There  is  also  consider- 
able resemblance  to  the  Cathedrals  of  Clermont  and 
Limoges.  The  lofty  arcades,  the  practical  absence  of 
capitals  and  sculpture,  the  small  importance  of  the 
triforium,  and  the  equality  in  the  size  of  the  chapels, 
are  all  points  of  likeness,  as  are  the  almost  horizontal 
roofing-slabs  of  the  aisles,  which  at  Narbonne  are 
covered  with  drawings  of  details  and  settings-out. 

The  structure  is  about  180  feet  long,  and  the  height 
to    the    vaulting    is    130    feet.     Only    Beauvais    and 
Amiens  among  French  cathedrals  are  more  lofty.    The 
chapels  and  aisles  are  65  feet  high.     The  chapels  are 
polygonal  apses,  and  continue  down  the  sides  ;  it  was 
intended  to  have  them  all  along  the  nave.     The  lines 
of   the   tracery   of    some    of   the   windows   are   flam- 
boyant,  though  the  type  of  the  mouldings  is  much 
earher.     The   upper  windows   do  not   fill  the   whole 
space  between  the  vaulting  ribs,  perhaps  for  fear  of 
the  strain  of  the  high  winds  of  Languedoc.     Outside, 
the  chemin  de  ronde  of  the  flying  buttresses,  with  the 
arches  which  support  it,  give  a  special  character  to 
the    apse  ;    it   communicated    with   the   Archbishop's 
Palace    close    by.     There   is   very  little  glass,  except 
fourteenth-century  grisailles,  but  that  is  very  good. 
The  choir-screen  of  that  period  has  been  modified  by 
the  insertion  of  tombs  in  it,  but  these  are  themselves 
among  the  artistic  treasures  of  the  cathedral.      There 
is   a   good   sixteenth  -  century   carved   door   into   the 


332  NARBONNE 

sacristy,  a  holy  sepulchre  of  the  same  period,  and  a 
fifteenth-century  alabaster  statue  of  the  Virgin.  A 
wrought-iron  lectern,  a  folding  seat,  and  a  lamp-stand, 
are  good  examples  of  seventeenth-century  iron-work. 
Above  the  door  to  the  treasury  hangs  a  very  fine 
tapestry  in  good  preservation,  but  rather  dusty.  The 
subject  is  the  Trinity  in  Creation  in  the  centre,  and 
probably  Paradise  figures  below — at  all  events,  Adam 
and  Eve  are  there  in  juxtaposition  to  richly  clothed 
Kings,  etc.  ;  and  above  are  nude  figures,  indicating 
the  Resurrection.  The  treasury  contains  a  number  of 
very  interesting  things — a  small  Moorish  casket,  which 
looks  tenth-century,  and  is  beautifully  carved  in 
ivory.  It  bears  an  Arabic  inscription,  which  has  been 
translated  :  "  Blessing  of  God — made  in  the  town  of 
Cuenca  for  the  collection  of  Hadjeb  Kaid  of  thelsmael 
Cayds."  A  medieval  ivory  of  the  Crucifixion,  with 
scenes  of  the  Passion  below  and  an  Ascension  above,  is 
probably  of  the  twelfth  century,  or  perhaps  rather 
earlier.  There  are  also  several  beautifully  written 
manuscripts — Gospel  books,  Pontificals,  and  anti- 
phonaries.  One  of  them,  by  the  form  of  the  figured 
arcades  which  enclose  its  calendar,  may  be  of  the 
ninth  or  tenth  century.  It  is  not  so  good  as  some 
we  have  in  England,  though.  Two  others  of  the 
fourteenth  century  are  interesting,  and  a  note  on  the 
first  page  of  one  of  them  states  that  it  was  executed 
by  Pierre  de  la  Jugie  about  1350.  The  miniatures 
are   very   delicate.     Other   objects   are   a   thirteenth- 


THE  TREASURY  333 

century  pectoral  cross,  with  filigree  and  stones,  the 
trefoil  ends  opening  to  enclose  relics  ;  an  archiepiscopal 
cross,  which  belonged  to  the  reformer  of  the  Trappists, 
with  insets  of  small  glass  roundels,  beneath  which  were 
relics  ;  and  three  portable  altars — one  of  green  por- 
phyry set  in  metal,  which  bears  an  inscription  dated 
1270  (this  is  said  to  have  been  sent  by  the  Pope  to  be 
placed  on  the  altar  at  the  first  celebration  beneath  the 
new  vaults  after  the  rebuilding  of  the  cathedral)  ; 
one  of  Italian  marble,  with  an  incised  pattern  filled 
in  with  black  mastic  ;  and  one  of  Dead  Sea  bitumen, 
with  incised  border  and  roundels.  These  two  are 
apparently  of  the  fourteenth  century.  There  are  other 
later  tapestries,  said  to  have  been  presented  by  Richard 
Cromwell,  a  pallium  of  white  wool  with  black  crosses, 
and  a  curious  manuscript  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
written  by  the  nieces  of  the  Archbishop  Le  Goux  de 
la  Berchere  (who  tried  to  complete  the  cathedral)— a 
souvenir  of  Gothic  work. 

Between  the  cathedral  and  the  Archbishop's  palace 
is  a  little  cloister,  fifteenth  -  century  in  character, 
though  it  was  in  hand  from  1361  to  after  1417,  and 
the  design  must  have  been  settled  from  the  beginning. 
The  arches  are  without  traceries.  The  chapter-house 
(of  the  same  period)  is  entered  from  the  eastern 
gallery.  Close  to  it  is  a  Romanesque  tower  of  twin 
bays,  the  only  remains  of  the  former  cathedral. 
The  Archbishop's  palace  was  the  strongest  and  best- 
defended  ecclesiastical  residence  in  France,  except  the 


334  NARBONNE 

Papal  Palace  at  Avignon.  Between  the  two  principal 
towers  of  1318  and  1374  Viollet-le-Duc  built  the  Hotel 
de  Ville.     Most  of  the  dwelling-rooms  were  restored  in 

the  seventeenth  century,  but 
the  refectory  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  contains  an  early 
Renaissance  lavaho.  The  mu- 
seum is  housed  in  this  building. 
The  Church  of  S.  Paul  Serge 
is  finer  inside  than  out,  but  is 
very  interesting  historically.  It 
was  built  upon  an  antique  ceme- 
tery which  bordered  the  Via 
Domitia.  The  Christian  sarco- 
phagi preserved  in  the  western 
porch,  and  the  inscription  of  the 
seventh  century  on  the  tomb  of 
the  priest  Adroarius,  came  from 
this  cemetery,  which  was  in  use 
until  the  Revolution.  The  Hotel 
Dieu,  adjoining  the  church, now 
occupies  the  greater  part  of  the 
site.  The  earliest  mention  of  the 
abbey  occurs  in  the  year  782, 
when  Count  Milon,  who  had 
usurped  its  property,  was  compelled  to  restore  it. 
It  is  described  as  outside  the  ramparts,  beyond  the 
bridge  over  the  Aude,  in  the  place  called  "  Ad  Albolas." 
In  911,  Arnould,  Archbishop  of  Narbonne,  gave  the 


PLAN  OF  S.  PAUL  SERGE, 
NARBONNE. 


.-3.    I'AUL    .ShK(,l.,    .NAK);(K\M.,    IKOM    M'.AK    II  1(  ill  AI.  1 AK. 


To  f:icc  pnKc  i^. 


S.   PAUL  SERGE  335 

Churches  of  S.  Amans  and  S.  Baudille  at  Bizanet  to 
the  Abbot  Savari.     There  is  nothing  of  so  early  a  date 
in  the  existing  church,  however,  though  three  Caro- 
hngian  inscriptions  are  stated  to  have  been  in  tlie 
primitive   building.     The   most    ancient   bays   of   the 
nave  appear  to  be  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  twelfth 
century,  though  perhaps  the  north-west  pier  of  the 
crossing  may  be  rather  earlier.     The  work  of  recon- 
struction must  have  been  finished  by  1185,  for  in  that 
year  Abbot  Imbert  was  buried  in  the  choir.     At  the 
beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century  the  two  eastern 
bays  were  restored,  their  triforium  was  transformed 
and  continued  in  the  transept,  and  the  fifth  chapel 
added  in  the  north  aisle.     Later  in  the  century  Abbot 
Roubaud  rebuilt   the   apse,   with    deambulatory  and 
chapels,    though    the    twelfth  -  century    choir   was    as 
broad  as  the  Gothic  apse,  the  first  stone  being  laid 
in  January,  1224,  in  presence  of  the  Consuls  of  the 
city.     It  was  finished  in  1265,  when  the  sarcophagus 
of  S.  Paul  was  moved  into  one  of  the  radiating  chapels. 
After  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century  these  relics 
were  placed  between  the  pillars  of  the  high-altar.     In 
1368  there  was  a  great  fire,  and  the  nave  vaults  fell. 
When   the  damage  was  repaired,   two  western  bays 
and  a  porch  were  added,   as  well  as  several  lateral 
chapels,  the  work  not  being  finished  till  the  fifteenth 
century.     Other  additions  were  made  in  the  sixteenth 
and    eighteenth,    mostly    outside  ;    and    in    1827    the 
strutting  arches  were  inserted  m  the  nave,  the  piers  of 


336  NARBONNE 

which  resemble  those  of  Norman  churches,  but  with 
impost  mouldings  only.  One  pier  has  clustered  shafts, 
with  fine  Romanesque  caps. 

The  choir  and  transepts  have  curious  galleries  of 
communication,  going  all  round  the  exterior  wall  above 
the  chapels,  and  also  round  the  choir,  the  vault  of  the 
deambulatory  rising  above  them,  and  continuing  as 
triforium  down  the  nave.  The  architect  of  this 
portion  of  the  building,  conceiving  it  in  1224,  comes 
third  in  historical  sequence  of  those  who  made  use  of 
the  expedient  :  'the  first  examples  of  such  treatment 
are  at  Bourges  and  Le  Mans.  S.  Paul  Serge  is  earlier 
than  either  Beauvais  or  Coutances.  The  second 
gallery  between  the  choir  and  the  deambulatory  is 
the  most  original  arrangement.  A  restoration  of  the 
triforium  galleries  was  carried  out  in  1906.  The 
total  length  is  now  nearly  270  feet,  including  the 
porch.  On  the  west  wall  is  an  organ  case,  the  lower 
part  of  which  is  Renaissance  and  the  upper  portion 
late  Gothic.  The  high-altar  is  Renaissance,  the  stalls 
late  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  century,  and  there  are  doors 
of  the  period  of  Frangois  L  fixed  to  the  wall  on  the 
north  side  of  the  choir.  In  the  carving  of  the  eastern 
end  strong  classic  influence  is  evident,  notwithstand- 
ing its  date,  going  so  far  in  some  instances  as  the 
copying  of  well-known  details. 

The  north  gallery  of  the  Romanesque  cloister  has 
been  made  into  a  sacristy.  It  consists  of  an  arcade 
of  six  arches,  resting  on  colonnettes,  with  moulded 


A   FUNERAL   MASS  337 

bases  and  uncarved  caps,  while  beyond  an  arch  which 
gives  entrance  to  a  writing-room  are  two  more.     On 
the  opposite  side  is  a  large  arch  over  the  tomb  of  an 
unidentified  Archbishop,  attended  by  nine  small  figures 
of  Bishops.     The  carving  of  the  archivolt  is  very  fine 
and  rich,  reminding  one  of  Poitou,  though  the  sarco- 
phagus is  unornamented.     To  the  right   one  carved 
cap  remains.     To  the  left  is  a  smaller  arch,  with  carved 
hood-mould.     There  are  a  few  tapestries  in  the  church, 
"  verdure  "-Hke  things  with  figures,  dated  1696,  and 
a  good  deal  of  modern  decoration  and  stained  glass. 
The  first  time  we  entered  the  church  a  funeral  Mass 
was  going  on — the  cofiin  covered  with  a  white  pall, 
with  a  black  cross  on  each  side  and  end,  two  tapers  on 
each  side,  and  a  black  cross  standing  at  the  end  away 
from  the  altar.     Besides  the  mourners,  other  figures 
knelt  in  the  darker  parts  of  the  aisles,  and  the  lofty 
proportions  of  the  fine  interior  gave  additional  dignity 
and  solemnity  to  a  service  which  is  always  impressive. 
The  museum  of  architectural  sculpture  is  housed  in 
the  desecrated  Church  of  Lamourguier,  a  name  which 
signifies  the  monastery.     The  building  dates  from  the 
twelfth  century,  and  has  transverse  arches  supporting 
the  roof  timbers   (one  of  which  fell  down  the  other 
day) .    The  principal  part  of  its  contents  is  classical,  but 
there  is  also  a  series  of  Romanesque  and  Gothic  caps. 
In   the   eleventh    and   twelfth    centuries    Narbonne 
extended  its  commercial  relations,  and  in  1165  made 
an  alliance  with  Genoa.     It  had  the  good-fortune  to 

43 


338  NARBONNE 

escape  the  Albigensian  wars,  owing  to  the  Legate 
Arnaud  Amaury  getting  himself  elected  Archbishop 
in  I2I2.  He  then  called  himself  Viscount,  but  was  not 
able  to  defend  this  title  against  Simon  de  Montfort, 
who  received  investiture  of  it  from  Philip  Augustus, 
as  well  as  the  County  of  Toulouse.  It  was  in  Narbonne 
that  the  plot  of  Cinq  Mars  was  discovered,  when 
Louis  XI I L  and  Richelieu  were  together  in  the  town 
during  the  siege  of  Perpignan  in  1642.  According  to 
tradition,  Narbonne  was  Christianized  by  Sergius 
Paulus,  a  disciple  of  S.  Paul.  The  Archbishops  were 
primates  of  Gallia  Narbonensis,  and  presidents  of  the 
Etats  de  Languedoc  from  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  archbishopric  was  suppressed  in  1790, 
and  the  title  of  Archbishop  of  Narbonne  and  Primate 
is  now  attached  to  the  Archbishopric  of  Toulouse, 
though  Narbonne  is  part  of  the  diocese  of  Carcassonne. 
S.  Sebastian  was  a  native  of  the  city,  as  were  several 
Emperors  of  the  third  century. 

We  had  here  an  example  of  the  memory  of  the 
waiters,  which  shows  that  they  are  as  well  endowed  in 
France  in  that  particular  as  in  Italy.  On  our  first 
visit  we  only  stayed  a  day  in  our  hotel,  but  on  returning 
next  year  the  landlord  greeted  us  as  old  friends,  and 
the  waiter  who  had  waited  on  us  brought  a  bottle  of 
red  wine  and  set  it  on  the  table  by  me,  and  a  white 
one  by  my  companion.  I  said  :  "  No  ;  that  isn't 
right  !"  "  Ah  !"  he  replied  ;  "  I  remembered  that  one 
took  red  wine  and  one  white,  but  I  couldn't  remember 


NORlll    AISLK   <il     S.    I'AII.    sl.Ki;!;.    NAKIiiiNM.. 


I'o  flic-  |>:«Kr  33"- 


THE   WAITERS'    MEMORY  339 

which  !"  At  Perpignan  the  same  year  we  went  into 
the  hotel  where  we  had  stayed  before  to  dejeuner. 
After  a  time  an  oldish  waiter  came  up  to  me,  and  said, 
"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  weren't  you  here  last 
year  ?"  I  said,  "  Yes,"  upon  which  he  slapped  his 
thigh  in  great  delight.  "  Ah  !"  said  he  ;  "I  betted 
with  that  waiter  over  there  that  you  were.  He  said 
you  hadn't  been  here  before." 

B^ZIERS. 

Beziers  lies  some  fifteen  miles  east  of  Narbonne  on 
the  Orb,  about  eight  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  crowns 
a  hill  from  the  summit  of  which  the  Cathedral  of 
S.  Nazaire  dominates  the  landscape.  A  town  of 
Celtiberian  origin,  it  was  the  capital  of  the  Biterri, 
and  was  colonized  by  the  Romans  under  the  name  of 
Beterrae  Septimanorum.  From  that  time  onward  it 
has  been  celebrated  for  its  wines,  which  still  find  a  good 
market,  and  also  has  a  large  trade  in  brandy.  It  is 
no  uncommon  sight  to  see  the  grapes  being  brought 
into  the  town  in  large,  vat-shaped  casks,  to  be  manu- 
factured into  wane  indoors,  and  sometimes  the  wine- 
press is  taken  into  the  vineyards,  and  the  juice  ex- 
pressed there.  While  the  vintage  is  proceeding,  some 
parts  of  the  town  smell  quite  sour  with  the  wine 
lees. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  after  having  had  feudal  lords 
of  its  own,  it  became  one  of  the  fortresses  of  the  Count 


I  I  i!/^*  "^^'"^'^  -  £ 


'■•  J 


THE   CATHEDRAL  34i 

of  Carcassonne,  and  was  therefore  besieged  by  Simon 
de  Montfort  during  the  Albigensian  war.  Its  capture 
was  one  of  the  most  terrible  incidents  in  that  orgy  of 
blood  and  greed,  and  it  was  by  consent  of  the  legate 
Amaud  Amaury  that  the  sack  took  place.  On  July  29, 
1209,  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  were  massacred,  the 
victims  on  the  most  moderate  calculation  reaching 
20,000,  and  the  city  did  not  fully  recover  the  blow 
struck  in  the  sacred  name  of  religion  till  our  own 
days. 

Paul  Riquet,  the  constructor  of  the  Canal  du  Midi, 
was  a  native  of  Beziers,  and  the  town  has  honoured 
her  son  by  erecting  a  statue  to  him,  and  naming  the 
principal  promenade  of  the  city  after  him.  The  canal 
crosses  the  Orb  by  an  aqueduct  bridge  beyond  the 
railway,  and  there  is  a  medieval  bridge  245  feet  long 
of  the  thirteenth  or  fourteenth  century,  as  well  as  one 
of  a  more  modern  date.  The  bishopric  is  said  to  have 
been  founded  in  the  third  century  by  S.  Aphrodisius, 
and  names  of  Bishops  are  knowTi  in  the  fifth.  It  was 
suppressed  in  1790. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighth  century  the  episcopal 
seat  was  transferred  from  S.  Aphrodise  to  S.  Nazaire. 
Gifts  were  made  to  the  church  in  889,  977  or  982,  and 
1 130,  but  the  general  character  of  the  building  is  of 
the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  It  is  72  feet 
high,  155  feet  long,  and  42  feet  broad.  The  transepts 
and  part  of  the  nave  are  of  the  best  pointed  period,  and 
the  two  western  bays  and  the  choir  of  the  lourtrcnlh 


342  BEZIERS 

century,  but  still  unfinished  at  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth.  In  the  Albigensian  war  (1209)  the  cathe- 
dral was  burnt,  and  the  vault  split  in  two.  The  great 
tower  was  built  in  1354,  on  a  Romanesque  base.  Only 
two  statues  are  left,  one  on  each  side  of  the  great  door, 
the  Synagogue  and  the  Gospel,  but  the  apse  buttresses 
have  well  carved  ornament. 

To  the  south  is  a  charming  cloister  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  never  completed,  and  with  diftering  propor- 
tions in  each  walk.  The  vaxilts  consequently  vary. 
It  is  now  used  as  a  lapidary  museum.  The  sacristy 
and  the  chapel  of  the  third  order  beneath  it  were  built 
by  William  de  Montjoie  (whose  arms  appear  upon 
both)  in  1443.  There  is  also  a  late  fourteenth -century 
chapel  to  the  south  of  the  nave.  Attached  to  the  north 
transept  is  a  large  chapel  which  serves  as  parish  church. 
The  fa9ade  is  flanked  by  two  little  crenellated  towers, 
and  pierced  by  a  fine  rose-window.  All  the  building 
was  fortified,  even  the  transept  and  the  rectangular 
portion  of  the  choir,  which  are  said  to  go  back  to  the 
twelfth  century,  which  seems  possible,  since  the  iron- 
work of  the  windows  is  of  the  same  pattern  as  the 
earliest  screens  at  Chichester.  The  principal  bell- 
tower  to  the  left  of  the  choir  is  about  150  feet  high. 
The  fourteenth -century  windows  are  said  to  be  fine, 
but  are  hidden  inside  by  a  great  rococo  retable  made 
by  Genoese  artists  in  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
baptistery  is  of  the  same  date,  and  uses  fine  Langue- 
docian  marbles,  but  one  could  wish  that  the  Bishop 


,  ps^^^M.:M\  }[ 


\E> 


344  BEZIERS 

who    ordered    the    work    and    was    buried   near   the 

altar  in  17 15  had  Umited  his  gifts  to  providing  his 

tomb. 

S.  Aphrodise  was  the  ancient  cathedral,  and  dates 
from  the  eleventh  century,  having  been  altered  and 
restored  in  the  fourteenth.  There  is  no  carving  about 
it  except  chequer  billet  mouldings.  The  nave  is  of  six 
bays,  with  round  unmoulded  arches  and  imposts  to 
the  piers  ;  vaulted  at  a  later  date,  as  were  the  narrow 
aisles,  since  they  are  partly  quadripartite  with  ribs. 
The  side  chapels  were  added  in  the  fourteenth  century, 
as  was  the  apsidal  choir.  Round  the  chancel  arch  runs 
a  curious  kind  of  corbel  moulding,  and  there  is  a  pretty 
rose-window  in  the  west  wall  of  the  nave.  The  crypt 
is  early,  and  e'ncloses  an  antique  marble  sarcophagus 
with  a  mythological  subject.  Under  the  organ  is 
another  serving  as  a  font,  shut  into  a  cupboard  of  carved 
wood.  The  church  is  entered  through  a  kind  of  open- 
air  vestibule  by  an  arch  under  a  house. 

La  Madeleine  is  also  of  the  eleventh  century,  altered 
in  the  eighteenth,  and  retains  a  fine  Romanesque 
cornice  recalling  the  antique,  well-designed  and  sharply 
cut.  Round  the  polygonal  apsidal  end  are  antefixes 
at  each  rib,  made  of  pieces  of  ninth-century  carving  of 
different  patterns.  It  has  been  decorated  during  the 
later  Renaissance  period,  and  presents  some  curious 
window-forms  in  consequence.  Two  pointed  windows 
in  the  south  fagade  are  filled  with  the  same  close 
wrought-iron  scrolls  as  at  the  cathedral,  and  two  other 


AMUSING   SIGHTS  345 

similar  windows  are  set  in  a  very  curious  manner  into 
the  round-arched  arcade  round  the  apse. 

S.  Jacques  is  of  the  twelfth  century.  It  has  an 
apse  closely  resembling  that  at  Alet,  but  it  is  not 
visible  to  the  general  spectator,  the  church  being  en- 
closed in  houses.  Near  Riquet's  birthplace,  in  the 
Rue  St.  Felix,  are  remains  of  another  Romanesque 
church.  The  ends  of  the  naves  and  transepts  in  all 
these  churches  have  low  pediments  with  the  wall 
continued  above,  showing  a  strong  classical  influence. 

In  the  houses  of  the  Rue  St.  Jacques  remains  of  the 
Roman  arena  may  be  traced,  and  in  the  Rue  de  Capus 
is  a  house  with  an  exceedingly  beautiful  fifteenth-cen- 
tury window  and  other  details. 

The  modern  theatre  at  the  end  of  the  AUee  Paul 
Riquet  is  decorated  with  allegorical  subjects  by  David 
d' Angers,  to  whom  the  statue  of  Riquet  is  also  due. 

I  saw  a  little  green  paroquet  on  a  woman's  shoulder 
enticed  to  drink  by  another  from  a  cup.  The  woman 
on  whose  shoulder  it  was  was  not  successful  in  getting 
it  to  do  so,  though  it  rested  quietly  enough  on  its 
perch.  Great  triumph  on  the  part  of  the  successful 
temptress  !  The  markets  afford  amusing  sights  every 
now  and  then.  I  remember  seeing  baskets  of  young 
turkeys,  five  or  six  together,  covered  with  a  perforated 
cloth,  through  which  head  and  neck  protruded.  At 
the  best  of  times  young  turkeys  are  comical  objects, 
but  to  see  five  or  six  scraggy  necks  with  anxious  eyes 
in  the  heads  on  top  of  them  swaying  back  and  forth 

44 


346  BEZIERS 

in  accordance  with  the  movements  of  the  basket  as 
it  was  carried  along  was  irresistibly  funny.  In  the 
modern  amphitheatre  such  varied  entertainments  take 
place  as  lyrical  and  dramatic  performances,  and  bull- 
fights in  the  Spanish  fashion. 

Along  this  coast  the  Spanish  eaves  cornice  of  three 
rows  of  curved  tiles  filled  in  with  mortar  occurs  fre- 
quently, and  I  saw  stackpipes  made  of  lengths  of  green 
glazed  pottery,  and  gutters  made  of  short  tiles  of  the 
same  material,  with  excellent  effect.  Richly-coloured 
pomegranates  hung  on  the  trees,  and  through  the 
vineyards,  trains  of  five  to  twelve  trucks  were  drawn 
by  horses  along  the  tramways.  Outside  the  station 
were  a  number  of  Spanish  vintagers  seated  in  the  shade 
or  asleep,  and  at  Narbonne  there  was  great  excitement 
over  a  number  who  nearly  missed  the  train.  They 
put  on  four  extra  third-class  carriages  to  accommodate 
them. 

At  Beziers  are  the  fragments  of  an  unique  monument, 
the  only  one  known  erected  to  the  fraticelli.  Pierre 
Jean  d' Olive,  born  at  Serignan  near  Beziers,  entered  the 
Minorite  convent  towards  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  He  was  the  author  of  a  famous  commentary 
on  the  Apocalypse,  and  died  in  the  convent  at  Narbonne 
in  1298.  During  his  life  he  was  the  soul  of  the  frati- 
celli movement  on  the  Mediterranean  littoral,  and 
being  regarded  by  the  people  as  a  saint,  this  reputa- 
tion assisted  it  after  his  death.  His  book  on  the 
Apocalypse,  which  he   offered   to   Nicholas  V.,  was, 


RIEUX-MINERVOIS  347 

however,  condemned  by  the  Council  of  Vienne  (13 11), 
and  by  John  XXII.,  whose  pontificate  was  a  long 
struggle  against  the  doctrines.  No  doubt  the  monu- 
ment was  destroyed  when  the  fraticelli  disappeared 
from  the  scene,  since  two  figures  from  it  are  in  the 
museum,  and  the  other  two  in  the  wall  of  the  tower 
of  the  Church  of  the  "  Penitents  bleus,"  or  Recoil ets, 
a  building  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  a  pretty 
doorway. 

At  Beziers  a  woman  skipped  into  the  railway  carriage, 
pushing  her  way  before  me,  and  throwing  down  on  the 
seats  enough  things  to  retain  places  for  a  whole  party. 
I  found  afterwards  that  it  was  only  she  and  her  husband 
who  were  travelling,  but  she  had  the  decency  to  offer 
me  one  of  the  corners.  At  Narbonne  we  changed  for 
Perpignan.  The  trains  were  full  here  too,  and  I  got 
into  a  compartment  with  two  famihes  who  had  come 
through  from  Paris  ;  among  the  members  was  a  child 
who  will  be  a  charming  woman  in  a  few  years.  A 
third-class  woman  who  was  put  in  was,  however,  the 
most  remarkable-looking  of  our  group — a  magnificent 
head  well-draped,  with  a  black  shawl  thrown  over  it, 
and  deep,  tragic  eyes.     Quite  like  an  antique  Roman. 

RiEUX-MlNERVOIS. 

We  left  Narbonne  on  the  morning  of  May  Day. 
The  bitter  wind  from  which  we  had  suffered  for  several 
weeks   still   continued,   and   the   ladies   were   wearing 


348  RIEUX-MINERVOIS 

furs  and  wrapping  them  closely  round  their  persons. 
It  was  at  least  as  cold  as  we  had  found  it  in  England 
before  Easter,  and  one  realized  that  the  "  Sunny 
South  "  may  be  an  exceedingly  unpleasant  place  to 
live  in.  We  were  bound  for  Rieux-Minervois,  a  little 
place  near  the  mines  of  Cannes,  which  has  not  yet 
found  its  way  into  Baedeker's  Guide,  perhaps  wisely, 
for  it  is  not  a  place  one  would  recommend  to  the 
ordinary  tourist.  On  the  way  to  Moux,  where  we  were 
to  change  carriages,  we  came  across  traces  of  an 
accident,  fortunately  only  affecting  merchandise.  A 
goods  train  had  run  off  the  line  in  the  early  morning, 
damaging  it  for  a  considerable  distance,  broken  chairs 
and  smashed  sleepers  bearing  witness  to  the  irregularity, 
which  caused  some  excitement  among  the  passengers. 
The  station  is  some  distance  from  the  inn,  and  by  the 
time  we  reached  it  dejeuner  was  half  over.  This 
did  not  matter  very  much,  since  as  far  as  we  could  see 
there  was  no  order  in  the  sequence  of  courses.  Our 
companions  at  the  table  were  three  or  four  commercial 
travellers,  one  of  whom  was  a  kind  of  triton  among  the 
minnows,  and  laid  down  the  law  to  the  others,  who 
eagerly  laughed  at  his  jokes,  and  agreed  with  his 
opinions.  Our  arrival  gave  them  the  opportunity  of 
increasing  the  amount  of  their  dejeuner  without  paying 
any  more  for  it,  of  which  they  took  full  advantage, 
though  there  was  this  excuse  for  them,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  judge  from  the  sequence  of  the  courses 
whether  a  particular  dish  was  intended  for  the  new- 


CHURCH   OF   S.    MARIE  349 

comers  or  to  be  passed  round  the  whole  table.  The 
beverage  was  a  white  brandy,  which  we  diluted  plenti- 
fully with  water,  for  it  was  only  40  per  cent,  under 
proof ! 

The  attraction  which  had  drawn  us  to  Rieux  was 
the  interesting  early  church  of  S.  Marie,  which 
resembles  the  churches  of  the  Templars,  and  was 
probably  built  as  a  reminiscence  of  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre,  for  the  place  never  formed  part 
of  a  Commandery,  and  was  surrounded  by  the  domains 
of  three  Benedictine  communities  ;  nor  are  there  an}^ 
of  the  symbols  or  other  signs  usually  found  on  buildings 
belonging  to  the  Templars.  Portions  of  the  building 
also  appear  to  be  earher  than  1118,  the  date  of  the 
foundation  of  the  Order,  and  the  additions  are  most 
of  them  later  than  its  abohtion.  The  church  has  also 
been  considered  to  be  a  repaired  survival  of  antiquity, 
but  the  curious  arrangement  of  the  plan  makes  this 
improbable,  although  circular  and  polygonal  buildings 
are  well  known,  which  have  passed  from  heathen  to 
Christian  use  for  purposes  of  worship.  Archbishop 
Dalmasius  (who  died  at  Rieux  in  1096)  gave  the  church 
to  the  Chapter  of  Narbonne,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
Canons  built  the  existing  church  at  the  beginning  of  the 
twelfth  century.  The  bell-tower  appears  to  be  later  ; 
at  all  events,  it  was  restored  in  Gothic  times. 

The  plan  is  heptagonal,  the  central  supports  con- 
sisting of  four  piers  and  three  columns,  the  high-altar 
being  placed  between  the  two  adjacent  piers.     These 


350  RIEUX-MINERVOIS 

piers  have  only  imposts,  but  the  caps  to  the  columns 
are  carved  with  foliage,  and  there  is  one  figure  subject — 
Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions.     Unmoulded  round  arches 
of  two  orders  and  slightly  stilted  support  a  cupola, 
heptagonal  below,  but  becoming  spheroidal  at   two- 
thirds  of  its  height,  above  which  rises  an  heptagonal 
bell-tower    with    narrow,  round-headed    windows    on 
five  of  its  faces,  and  two  of  two  Ughts  on    double 
colonnettes,    apparently    of    the    fourteenth    century. 
Some   of   the   other  windows   are   filled   with   simple 
tracery  of  the  same  period.     An  aisle  of  fourteen  sides 
surrounds  the  central  space,  covered  with  a  quarter- 
circle  vault  which  buttresses  the  dome.     The  external 
wall,  which  is  more  than  3  feet  thick,  has  fourteen 
engaged  columns,  with  carved  caps  supporting  cham- 
fered   and    moulded,  shghtly    stilted,  round    arches. 
Twelve  of  them  are  ornamented  with  foliage,  one  has 
well-executed  monsters,  and  one  a  figure  subject,  an 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin.  All  the  abaci  also  are  carved. 
Unfortunately,  the  church  is  very  dark,  and  the  most 
interesting    carving    occupies    the    darkest    positions, 
but  parts  of  it  appear  to  be  work  of  the  eleventh  century. 
The  ancient  porch,  opposite  to  the  high-altar,  has  been 
converted  into  a  chapel.     The  carvings  of  the  capitals 
are  interesting,  showing  a  savage  imagination,  and  are 
probably  local   work,  as  they  differ  considerably  in 
design  from  the  more  usual  type  of  capital  found  in 
Roussillon.     The  arch  they  sustain  has  three  orders, 
one  plain,  the  others  shghtly  decorated.     The  central 


JL^ I?  , 


'^4i 


352  RIEUX-MINERVOIS 

space  is  about  27  feet  across,  and  the  aisle  is  16  feet 
wide  and  about  30  feet  high.  A  modern  gallery  dis- 
figures the  interior,  running  nearly  half-way  round  it, 
on  each  side  of  the  high-altar.  Seven  chapels  open 
beyond  the  outer  wall,  of  various  dates  ;  several  of  them 
have  fourteenth-century  vaulting  and  one  lierne  vault- 
ing restored  ;  originally  late  fourteenth -century  in 
style.  Two  still  have  rough  waggon -vaults,  indicating 
an  early  date.  Over  the  altar  in  the  chapel  to  the  right 
of  the  high-altar  is  a  fourteenth-century  Deposition 
from  the  Cross.  A  little  side  door  still  retains  two 
carved  caps  in  excellent  condition,  but  the  mouldings 
and  enrichments  of  the  arch  are  much  weathered. 
Engaged  columns  also  appear  at  the  external  angles. 

The  church  is  flanked  by  the  remains  of  fortifications 
which  appear  to  have  been  in  close  connection  with  it. 
There  are  two  round  towers  still  remaining  at  the  angles, 
and  a  curtain  wall  connecting  them,  now  pierced  by 
the  doors  of  many  miserable  dwellings.  The  wind 
continued  to  howl  through  the  trees  of  what  may  be 
a  pleasant  shady  avenue  in  summer,  as  we  returned 
towards  the  station.  The  houses  and  shops  were  either 
squalid  or  cheaply  finished,  and  we  saw  little  life  or 
business  going  on.  The  mining  town  of  Cannes  is  the 
next  station,  and  I  understand  that  the  church  there 
is  partly  Romanesque,  with  a  curious  domically  vaulted 
porch  with  ribs  on  the  north  side,  constructed  perhaps 
as  a  shelter  from  the  bitter  winds  such  as  we  took  refuge 
from  in  the  train.      Before  long  the  turrets  and  roofs 


CARCASSONNE  353 

of  the  Cite  at  Carcassonne  rose  on  the  horizon,  mocking 
the  snowy  crests  of  the  distant  Pyrenees.  It  was  a 
reHef  to  reach  our  comfortable  inn  and  forget  the  hard- 
ships and  discomforts  of  the  day. 


Carcassonne. 

The  city  of  Carcassonne,  though  so  medieval  in 
appearance,  is  much  older  than  the  Middle  Ages.  It 
is  cited  by  Pliny  among  the  Latin  towns  of  the  time  of 
Caesar,  and,  according  to  several  manuscripts  of  his 
Commentaries,  furnished  a  contingent  to  Crassus  for 
his  campaign  against  the  Sotiates.  An  inscription 
found  in  1847  between  Rieux  and  Moux  has  been  inter- 
preted as  referring  to  a  praetor  of  Carcassonne,  since 
he  belonged  to  the  Voltinia  tribe,  and  the  Rhenish 
museums  preserve  several  steles  of  soldiers  who  came 
from  Carcassonne.  The  Visigoths  took  Narbonne  in 
413,  and  this  city  in  436,  and  remained  masters  of  it 
for  three  centuries.  They  were  followed  by  the  Sara- 
cens, who  conquered  Narbonne  in  720,  and  Carcassonne 
five  years  later,  but  were  driven  beyond  the  Pyrenees 
by  the  Frankish  armies  in  757. 

After  the  death  of  Charlemagne,  the  Counts  quickly 
acquired  independence,  and  retained  it  until  the 
Northern  Crusaders  conquered  them  in  1209.  In  1239 
S.  Louis  united  it  to  France,  like  the  rest  of  the  terri- 
tories to  which  the  De  Monftorts  had  laid  claim  after 
the  Albigensian  war.      Their  new  lord  was  Alphonse 

45 


354  CARCASSONNE 

de  Poitiers,  brother  of  the  King.  The  last  of  the 
Trencavels  rebelled  against  this  absorption,  being 
supported  by  such  of  the  inliabitants  as  had  remained 
faithful  to  their  ancient  lords  in  an  unsuccessful  attempt 
to  take  the  Cite.     S.  Louis  would  not  allow  the  recon- 


-ii^i^^^._-^*J'*S^  j^ 


LES    LICES,    CARCASSONNE. 


struction  of  the  two  suburbs  which  had  been  destroyed 
in  the  conflict,  but  eight  years  after  the  dispersed  inhab- 
itants were  permitted  to  rebuild  their  dwellings  on  the 
land  beyond  the  Aude,  and  this  is  the  origin  of  the  lower 
town. 


n^-mrn' 


'•^■^"'wV^fC     y» 


I 


bi::i7i;'r. 


.Si'ff' 


.<'tr/ ■  •■■- 


THE    POKTE    DE    L  AUDE,    CARCASSONNE. 


356  CARCASSONNE 

Though  somewhat  over-restored  by  Viollet-le-Duc, 
the  towered  walls  give  an  excellent  idea  of  the  appear- 
ance of  a  medieval  town  from  a  distance.  There  is 
a  double  girdle  of  walls,  with  sixteen  towers  in  the 
outer  and  twenty-six  in  the  inner,  united  by  curtain 
walls,  the  great  square  Bishop's  tower  joining  them  on 
the  west.  There  are  only  two  gateways  (though  there 
were  also  posterns  in  both  enceintes) — the  Porte  Nar- 
bonnaise,  defended  by  two  great  beaked  towers,  and  the 
Porte  de  I'Aude,  outside  of  which  was  the  great  bar- 
bican, united  to  the  city  by  a  crenellated  and  strongly 
defended  road.  The  Church  of  S.  Gimer  now  occupies 
part  of  its  site.  The  river  then  ran  much  nearer  to 
the  walls,  but,  notwithstanding,  it  was  the  want  of 
water  which  obliged  the  garrison  to  surrender  to  Simon 
de  Montfort  in  1209. 

The  reconstruction  of  the  castle  and  the  restoration 
of  several  Visigothic  towers  probably  took  place  about 
1 130,  and  under  S.  Louis  it  was  again  restored  and 
strengthened,  but  his  death  occurred  before  the  work 
was  finished,  and  it  is  to  his  son,  Philippe  le  Hardi, 
that  the  strongest  portions  of  the  fortifications  are  due, 
distinguishable  by  the  bossed  masonry.  The  great 
Bishop's  tower,  the  Tour  Mipadre  at  the  south-west 
angle,  and  the  towers  of  the  Tresau  and  the  Porte 
Narbonnaise  were  so  strong  that  when  the  Black 
Prince  burnt  the  lower  town  he  thought  it  useless  to 
attack  the  upper.  That  Viollet-le-Duc  was  right  in 
his  general  ideas  is  proved  by  a  relief  by  the  side  of  the 


358  CARCASSONNE 

Porte  Narbonnaise,  which  shows  it  with  a  pointed  roof, 
indicating  the  use  of  slate,  as  well  as  the  fact  that 
among  the  debris  at  the  foot  of  the  towers  many 
fragments  of  slate  were  found. 

The  castle  of  the  Viscounts  is  now  a  caserne.  It 
has  nine  towers,  one  of  which  (a  slender  square  one) 
has  a  cupola  vault  and  Romanesque  windows,  with 
slender  colonnettes  supporting  lintels  of  concrete.  The 
northern  portion  of  the  walls  is  very  ancient,  either 
Roman  or  Visigothic.  The  bases  of  the  towers  are 
generally  square,  and  built  of  large  stones,  while  above 
they  become  round  and  are  composed  of  small  square 
stones  intermingled  with  stripes  of  brick,  the  windows 
being  round-headed  with  alternate  voussoirs  of  bricks 
and  stones.  Except  at  the  Porte  Narbonnaise  and 
the  defences  round  it  this  Gallo-Roman  construction 
is  found  nearly  all  round  the  walls.  In  the  wall  of  the 
barbican  at  this  gate  the  image  of  the  legendary 
Madame  Carcas  was  encrusted  in  Renaissance  times. 
The  restoration  was  completed  in  1868. 

The  bishopric  was  established  in  the  sixth  century  : 
the  first  positive  date  is  given  by  the  presence  of 
Sergius,  the  second  Bishop,  at  the  Council  of  Toledo, 
in  589.  Several  of  his  successors  assisted  at  subsequent 
councils  in  the  same  city,  which  was  the  metropoHs 
of  the  Visigothic  kingdom  ;  while  Carcassonne  was 
ruled  by  a  Visigothic  Count.  The  dignitaries  of  the 
Chapter  appear  in  the  ninth  century.  The  Church 
of    S.  Nazaire    (dedicated  to  SS.  Nazzaro  and  Celso 


THE   VAULTS  359 

of  Milan)  appears  to  have  always  been  the  cathedral. 
It  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time  in  an  Act  of  June,  925. 
The  present  church  is  later  in  date,  but  possibly  the 
crypt  may  contain  some  fragments  of  the  earlier 
church,  to  which  the  two  marble  Corinthian  capitals 
of  the  north  door  may  also  have  belonged,  since  they 
appear  to  be  earlier  than  the  eleventh  century,  the 
period  of  the  Romanesque  portion.  The  exact  date 
is  known,  since  Urban  II.  blessed  the  stones  prepared 
for  its  construction  on  June  11,  1096,  and  celebrated 
Mass  and  preached  in  the  Church  of  S.  Marie  and 
S.  Sauveur. 

The  vaulting  is  arranged  in  the  Poitevin  manner. 
The  springing  of  the  vaults  in  the  aisles  is  at  the  same 
height  as  in  the  nave,  and  the  nave  receives  light  only 
from  the  high  narrow  window^s  of  the  aisles.  The 
nave  vault  is  a  pointed  waggon,  with  supporting  arches, 
and  was  finished  later  than  the  aisles.  The  round- 
arched  arcade  of  six  bays  is  supported  on  square  piers, 
with  engaged  columns  on  all  four  sides,  alternating 
wdth  round  ones  like  pillars.  On  the  caps  of  the  latter 
a  short  column  rests,  terminating  in  a  cap  at  the  spring- 
ing of  the  supporting  arches.  This  alternation  is 
unusual  in  the  South  of  France,  though  it  occurs  at 
Rieux,  as  has  just  been  noted,  but  in  Lombardy  it  is 
frequent.  The  west  end  is  a  pretty  successful  piece 
of  restoration,  as  is  most  of  the  north  door.  Tliis 
west  end  has  great  buttresses  and  crenellated  walls, 
with  no  openings  except  the  circular  windows  high 


36o  CARCASSONNE 

above  the  ground  and  loopholes,  being  in  harmony  with 
the  military  character  of  the  towers  on  the  walls  which 
are  &o  near  it. 

In  1269  the  Bishop  and  Canons,  who  wished  to 
alter  the  east  end,  obtained  permission  from  S.  Louis 
to  encroach  on  the  public  road.  The  construction 
was  soon  commenced,  but  the  transept  and  chapels 
were  not  finished  till  the  time  of  Bishop  Pierre  de 
Roquefort  (f  1321) ,  whose  arms  appear  on  the  keystone 
of  the  choir-vault,  and  in  the  glass  of  the  southern  rose. 
The  transept  has  a  row  of  chapels  to  the  east,  with 
large  traceried  windows  filled  with  stained  glass ; 
in  fact,  the  whole  east  end  is  a  lantern  of  extremely 
graceful  design,  rivalling  S.  Urbain  at  Troyes  in  the 
daring  of  its  construction.  Statues  are  affixed  to  the 
uprights,  not  very  much  to  the  advantage  of  the 
design.  Most  of  this  work  appears  to  be  due  to  artists 
from  the  North  of  France,  and  it  has  been  observed  that 
the  statue  of  one  of  the  deacons  who  accompany  Pierre 
de  Roquefort  on  his  tomb  closely  resembles  that  of 
S .  Stephen  on  the  left  door  at  Rheims.  The  glass  is  very 
good,  the  greater  part  of  it  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
In  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  nave  is  a  rather  rough,  but 
interesting,  rehef  of  an  attack  on  a  castle  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  showing  the  engines  of  war  in  use  at 
the  period.  There  is  also  a  tombstone  with  an  effigy 
of  a  warrior  which  is  of  interest,  for  the  arms  on  the 
surcoat  are  those  of  Simon  de  Montfort,  whose  body 
rested  for  five  years  in  S.  Nazaire. 


THE   LOWER   TOWN  361 

The  lower  town  was  walled  with  earth  and  rounded 
pebbles  in  1276,  but  stone  was  used  towards  the  river 
to  preserve  it  from  inundations.  On  the  brink  of  the 
stream,  at  the  end  of  the  old  bridge,  stands  the  Chapel 
of  Notre  Dame  de  la  Sante,  rebuilt  at  the  end  of  the 
Gothic  period,  in  1523.  Hospitals  once  surrounded  it. 
The  bridge  was  in  course  of  erection  in  1315,  but  has 
been  modified  several  times,  most  in  1820,  showing 
small  signs  of  antiquity  now.  Formerly  a  pointed 
arch  in  the  centre  marked  the  point  where  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  rival  consulates  of  the  city  and  the  lower 
town  met.     A  stone  crucifix  preserves  its  memory. 

The  plan  of  the  lower  town  is  that  of  the  basHdes, 
with  the  streets  crossing  at  right  angles,  and  a  square 
nearly  in  the  centre.  The  two  Churches  of  S.  Vincent 
and  S.  Michel  abutted  on  the  ramparts,  which  they 
assisted  to  defend,  one  at  each  end  of  a  street  which 
divided  the  town  into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  Traces 
of  the  surrounding  walls  still  remain  here  and  there, 
and  on  the  Boulevard  Barbes,  two  of  the  bastions 
added  in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  two  churches 
were  commenced  in  the  first  half  of  the  fourteenth. 
An  inscription  in  the  north  porch  of  S.  Vincent  is  in 
letters  of  this  period,  with  which  the  character  of  the 
construction  also  agrees.  It  resembles  the  Cathedral, 
Perpignan,  in  plan,  but  has  a  large  semi-decagonal  apse 
flanked  by  two  smaller  ones.  The  broad  nave  is  of  seven 
bays,  with  chapels  along  the  sides  (the  broadest  of 
the  southern  churches,  with  the  exception  of  Mirepoix), 

4(, 


362  CARCASSONNE 

measuring  66  feet  across.  It  is  lighted  by  rose-windows 
to  a  great  extent.  There  were  three  doors,  but  that 
to  the  north  is  now  walled  up.  The  church  was  not 
finished  till  the  fifteenth  century,  to  which  period  the 
choir  belongs.  At  the  south-west  comer  there  is  a 
tower,  square  below  but  with  an  octagonal  upper  por- 
tion and  a  crenellated  parapet  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  north-west  corner  finishes  with  a  pretty  corbelled 
turret. 

The  Cathedral  of  S.  Michel  is  on  the  same  plan,  but 
smaller.  Above  the  roses  of  the  side  walls  is  a  chemin 
de  ronde.  On  the  north-west  of  the  nave,  towards 
the  interior  of  the  town,  is  a  bell-tower  with 
mullioned  windows  in  the  top  story,  but  without  a 
spire.  It  has  been  a  good  deal  restored  by  VioUet- 
le-Duc,  in  the  manner  of  the  North  of  France.  The 
fourteenth  century  was  a  period  of  considerable  pros- 
perity. The  drapers,  who  contributed  to  it  more  than 
the  other  trades,  were  organized  in  a  corporation  in 
1329,  but  other  corporations  were  soon  organized,  and 
the  pleasanter  situation  of  the  lower  towoi  gradually 
caused  the  removal  of  the  public  establishments. 

Two  objects  may  be  mentioned  as  worthy  of  notice 
besides  the  interesting  collection  of  pictures  in  the 
museum  (mostly  modem) — a  sixth  -  century  sarco- 
phagus, and,  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville, 
a  fountain  basin  with  carved  edge,  the  ornament  on 
which  much  resembles  that  on  the  lintel  of  the  door  of 
the  church  at  Maguelonne. 


A  POLITICAL   DEMONSTRATION  363 

St.  Papoul. 

We  stopped  at  Castelnaudary  on  our  way  from 
Carcassonne  to  Albi  (which  hes  outside  the  purview 
of  this  volume),  in  which  there  is  nothing  worthy  of 
note  except  the  large  lake  below  the  town  connected 
with  the  ''  Canal  du  Midi."  There  appeared  to  be  a 
political  meeting  going  forward,  as  numbers  of  men 
hurried  past  the  hotel  in  the  same  direction,  returning 
about  9.30.  I  think  there  must  have  been  1,000 
altogether,  and  among  the  marchers  very  few  women. 
They  marched  in  fours,  singing  a  song  of  which  the  only 
word  one  could  hear  was  "  victoire  "  repeated  several 
times.  Our  landlord  belonged  apparently  to  the 
opposite  party,  for  when  they  passed  the  hotel  they 
groaned,  a  gruesome  sound  coming  from  so  many 
lips  !  Opposite  the  house  was  a  curious  sign,  "  Alle- 
luias Izard,"  apparently  advertising  some  kind  of 
liqueur,  like  the  "  Blanquette  de  Limoux,"  the  white 
wine  one  sees  advertised  at  Carcassonne— or  perhaps 
a  kind  of  cake. 

About  four  miles  away,  on  a  hill  of  the  Lauragais, 
at  the  foot  of  which  the  little  stream  of  the  Lambe 
flows,  lies  the  village  of  St.  Papoul,  known  to  very 
few  Enghshmen.  Behind  it  rise  the  western  bastions 
of  the  Montague  Noire,  and  tlie  pleasant  road  from 
Castelnaudary  rises  and  falls  as  it  winds  over  slight 
elevations  in  a  rather  hilly  district,  affording  pleasant 
views  over  the  country,  especially  if  the  season  happen 


364  ST.   PAPOUL 

to  be  early  spring,  when  the  blossom  of  the  fruit-trees 
flushes  the  middle  distance.  The  town  owes  its  origin 
to  an  abbey  founded  by  Charlemagne  to  replace  an 
oratory  raised  over  the  tomb  of  S.  Papoul,  who  was 
a  disciple  of  S.  Saturnin  of  Toulouse,  and  the  apostle 
of  the  Lauragais.  S.  Pierre  Nolasque,  the  founder  of 
the  Order  of  Mercy  for  the  Redemption  of  Captives 
(f  1256),  was  born  near  the  place,  and  in  the  next  cen- 
tury the  abbey  was  made  a  bishopric  by  John  XXII. 
(in  13 17).  Thirty-four  Bishops  ruled  the  diocese  till 
the  suppression  of  the  see  by  the  Concordat. 

The  church  retains  nothing  of  the  time  of  Charle- 
magne, having  apparently  been  rebuilt  in  the  eleventh 
century,  and  after  it  became  a  cathedral  considerable 
alterations  and  additions  were  made,  nor  did  it  escape 
the  "  beautifying  "  of  the  seventeenth  century,  which 
has  done  so  much  to  spoil  important  churches  all  over 
France.  It  now  consists  of  a  broad  nave  flanked  by 
chapels,  with  presbytery  on  a  higher  level,  and  a  chapel 
on  each  side.  The  nave  has  four  bays,  and  is  vaulted 
with  a  pointed  barrel-vault  on  supporting  arches 
and  pilaster  strips,  with  a  moulding  at  the  springing 
all  round  except  where  interrupted  by  later  alterations. 
The  vault  is  pierced  with  windows  on  the  south  side, 
and  there  are  chapels  between  the  buttresses,  either 
of  the  fourteenth  century  or  late  Renaissance.  The 
organ  is  at  the  west  end,  with  a  small  round-headed 
window  on  each  side  of  it.  The  choir  projects  into  the 
nave,  and  is  raised  three  steps  above  it ;  their  form  shows 


THE  CHURCH  365 

that  this  was  one  of  the  Renaissance  alterations.  The 
presbyter}'  consists  of  two  bays  and  apse,  the  chapels 
each  side  of  one  bay  and  apse.  The  high-altar  is 
beneath  the  triumphal  arch.  The  presb^'tery  is 
vaulted  with  supporting  arches  and  four  ribs  in  the 
apse,  all  un- 
moulded  ;  the  Re- 
naissance altera- 
tions included  the 
addition  of  painted 
ribs.  The  first  ba}' 
has  arches  at  the 
sides  of  two  orders, 
with  heavy  rough 
caps  and  stunted 
columns,  apparent- 
ly of  the  eleventh 
century.  One  of 
these  caps  is  illus- 
trated. The  first 
supporting  arch  has 
two  fine  Roman- 
esque   caps     from 

which  the  columns  have  been  cut  away  ;  the  others 
have  painted  ornament  on  a  simple  trapezoidal  form. 
The  north  chapel  has  an  unmoulded  arch  of  two  orders 
on  very  rough  caps  and  columns  without  spurs  to  the 
bases,  indicating  a  date  early  in  the  eleventh  century. 
On  the  abaci  are  balls  and  chequer  ornament.     There 


ELEVENTH-CENTURY    CAI',    ST.    I'AFOUL. 


366  ST.   PAPOUL 

is  a  semicircular  barrel-vault  and  semi-dome,  early, 
but  covered  with  Renaissance  additions.  The  south 
chapel  has  the  same  arches,  but  with  figures  in  the  caps. 
This  has  been  altered  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  is 
now  vaulted  with  quadripartite  ribbed  vaulting,  with 
bosses  and  with  six  ribs  to  the  central  boss  over  the 
altar.  The  apse  has  been  made  polygonal  too  :  this 
contains  a  rather  fine  tomb  of  a  seventeenth -century 
Bishop.  The  church  is  entered  through  a  cloister  on 
the  south  side,  the  centre  of  which  is  filled  with  topiary 
work  surrounding  a  large  crucifix,  and  with  a  well 
in  one  corner.  It  is  said  to  be  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  certainly  a  good  deal  of  the  work  is  of 
that  date,  but  the  arches  are  round,  though  rather 
elaborately  moulded,  and  the  caps  have  subjects 
recalling  those  usual  in  Romanesque  times.  The 
arches  are  supported  on  twin  columns,  some  of  which 
are  octagonal,  and  some  built  of  brick,  with  piers  in  the 
centre  of  each  side  and  at  the  angles,  to  which  the 
colonnettes  are  attached.  On  three  sides  there  are 
two  groups  of  six  arches  ;  the  fourth  has  an  additional 
pier  occupying  the  place  of  the  third  arch  from  the 
centre  on  each  side.  The  roof  is  of  wood,  with  a  ridge 
piece  and  two  projecting  eaves.  Against  the  walls  are 
several  fourteenth-century  wall  tombs,  and  by  the 
entrance  is  a  chapter-house  of  the  same  date. 

The  apse  has  six  columns  round  the  outside  on  high 
bases,  supporting  a  cornice  with  three  corbels  between 
each  pair,  and  six  in  the  straight  part,  finishing  with 


TOULOUSE  367 

a  cable  moulding,  with  nail  heads  and  zigzag  termina- 
tion below  the  tiles.  The  caps  are  based  on  Corinthian 
or  with  figures.  In  each  bay  there  were  windows  low 
down.  The  bell-tower  is  over  the  first  bay  of  the  south 
aisle.  It  has  three  stages,  with  a  retreat  at  each,  and 
two  openings  on  each  side,  round  or  slightly  pointed, 
some  of  which  have  been  filled  up.  They  have  imposts, 
but  no  mouldings.  The  spire  is  octagonal.  The  apse 
by  this  tower  has  a  simple  corbelled  cornice,  but  the 
whole  exterior  has  been  so  altered  in  the  seventeenth 
century  that  its  early  character  is  much  obscured. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  south  aisle  is  a  roimd  tower, 
which  has  had  three  columns  and  corbels  supporting 
an  ornamented  string.  The  church  is  close  to  a  private 
park,  and  is  not  accessible  all  round.  There  are  a  good 
many  old  houses  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies, some  half-timbered,  with  projecting  eaves  ;  two 
of  the  town  gates  retain  the  arches  of  entry,  and  the 
side  of  a  third  remains  ;  but  what  struck  us  most  within 
the  village  was  the  wonderful  variety  of  evil  smells, 
and  we  were  glad  to  summon  our  driver  and  get  out 
into  the  pure  air  of  the  open  country. 

Toulouse. 

Toulouse  has  many  interesting  modern  things  in  it — 
a  fine  museum,  with  many  paintings,  housed  in  the 
cloister  of  the  Augustines  and  a  new  modern  building 
by  Viollet-le-Duc  ;  fine  mural  paintings  in  the  Capitole 


368  TOULOUSE 

by  Tolosan  artists  who  have  made  a  world  -  wide 
reputation  for  themselves  ;  imposing  palaces  of  the 
period  of  the  earlier  Renaissance ;  a  cathedral  of 
curious  design  ;  and,  above  all,  the  magnificent  Church 
of  S.  Semin.  The  modern  paintings  I  shall  disregard, 
though  I  have  the  greatest  admiration  for  some  of 
them,  and  concentrate  my  attention  upon  the  cathedral, 
the  early  medieval  objects  in  the  Museum,  and  the 
Church  of  S.  Sernin;  though  one  ought  not  to  omit 
mention  of  the  twin-naved  church  of  the  Jacobins, 
now  forming  part  of  the  Lycee,  which  also  occupies 
part  of  the  Hotel  Bernuy,  one  of  the  early  Renaissance 
palaces  ;  nor  of  the  Church  ''  du  Taur,"  a  brick  building 
of  the  fourteenth  to  fifteenth  century,  erected  on  the 
spot  to  which  S.  Saturnin  is  said  to  have  been  dragged 
by  a  bull  when  he  had  refused  to  sacrifice  to  Jupiter, 
the  facade  of  which  is  a  fine  example  of  the  brick 
architecture  of  the  district ,  with  its  curiously  shaped 
openings  like  an  uncurved  pointed  arch. 

The  Church  of  S.  Sernin  is  cruciform,  and  has  a 
nave  with  double  aisles,  and  an  apse  flanked  by  five 
semicircular  chapels.  Each  arm  of  the  transept  has 
two  similar  chapels  projecting  eastwards.  Above  the 
crossing  a  fine  tower  of  a  later  date  rises,  with  five 
stories  of  the  triangular  -  headed  Tolosan  arches, 
terminating  with  a  gallery,  above  which  a  spire  rises 
to  the  total  height  of  210  feet.  The  length  of  the 
church  is  330  feet,  and  the  width  104  feet  ;  the  transept 
is  210  feet  from  north  to  south,  and  the  nave  is  70  feet. 


CAPITALS    IN     rkllOUHM.,    S.    SKUNIN,    TOri.OUSK 


'I'o  face  |);igc    368. 


CRYPT   OF  S.   SERNIN  369 

high.  Under  the  choir  is  a  crypt,  and  in  the  wall  of  this 
crypt,  between  the  arches  which  light  it,  marble  reliefs 
are  encrusted,  which  are  like  the  early  ones  at  Moissac 
in  style.  There  are  five  slabs  in  all — a  Christ  in  a 
mandorla  with  the  Evangelists'  symbols,  and  four 
angels.  One  of  the  caps  in  the  south  transept  bears 
a  similar  Christ  in  glory  with  angels.  In  a  chapel  in 
the  north  transept  is  a  colossal  figure  of  Christ,  rather 
Byzantine  in  style,  the  work  of  a  twelfth -century 
carver.  The  sixteenth -century  stalls  are  well  carved, 
but  what  the  tourists  are  shown  first  is  a  miserere  of  a 
pig  in  a  pulpit,  which  they  are  told  represents  Calvin 
preaching.  A  votive  offering  of  1528  is  interesting, 
as  showing  the  church  surrounded  by  the  defensive 
works  of  the  time.  The  treasury  contains  some  em- 
broideries and  other  objects  worth  seeing.* 

The  church  was  thoroughly  restored  by  VioUet-le- 
Duc,*  but,  nevertheless,  is  still  interesting,  not  having 
been  scarified  as  much  as  is  usual  in  a  thorough  French 
restoration.  It  was  originally  dedicated  to  SS.  Sylvinus 
and  Exuperius.  Towards  the  end  of  the  tenth  century 
bequests  became  frequent.  King  Robert  came  on 
pilgrimage  at  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century, 
and  Bishop  Pierre  Roger  (1018-1032)  determined  to 
rebuild  the  church.     For  this  purpose  he  ordered  all 

*  A  beaten-gold  reliquary  of  the  twelfth  century,  several  fine 
Limoges  caskets,  a  mitre  said  to  be  that  of  S.  Expurius,  and  gloves 
of  S.  Remi,  and  the  horn  of  Roland — an  nliphant  decorated  with 
carvings  of  beasts  in  rows. 

47 


370  TOULOUSE 

offerings  to  be  paid  into  the  episcopal  treasury,  but  the 
Canons  protested,  and  he  was  obhged  to  content  him- 
self with  a  quarter  of  all  gifts.  It  has  been  fought  over 
by  French  archaeologists  a  good  deal,  but  an  article 
by  M.  Anthyme  S.  Paul  in  the  Bulletin  Monumental, 
1898,  so  marshals  facts  and  dates  that  there  seems 
little  left  to  discover.  It  is  known  that  Pope  Urban  II., 
with  sixteen  Prelates,  dedicated  the  high -altar  in  1096, 
placing  within  it  a  fragment  of  the  skull  of  the  first 
Bishop  of  Toulouse.  In  11 19  there  was  a  new  consecra- 
tion by  Calixtus  II.  of  a  secondary  altar.  The  choir 
was  finished  when  the  building  of  the  aisle  walls  to 
above  the  lower  windows  was  undertaken,  therefore  the 
choir  must  be  eleventh  century,  since  the  master 
builder  who  built  them  died  in  11 18.  The  greater 
part  of  the  building  is  twelfth  century,  but  the  choir 
was  probably  commenced  by  1077. 

The  designs  of  S.  Foy,  Conques,  S.  Sernin,  Toulouse, 
and  S.  lago,  Compostella,  resemble  each  other  so 
closely  that  the  designers  must  have  been  connected 
or  have  copied  one  from  the  other.  S.  Foy,  Conques, 
is  the  earliest  of  the  type,  and  was  built  while  Abbot 
Odolric  ruled  (1035- 1066).  Next  comes  S.  Sernin,  and 
S.  lago,  Compostella,  was  commenced  in  1082. 
S.  Raymond  (who  was  Raymond  Gayrard)  had  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  the  building  of  S.  Sernin.  He  was  first 
a  pupil  of  the  monastery,  then  a  married  laic  and 
a  canon,  leading  throughout  a  worthy  life.  He  appears 
to  have  been  an  amateur  architect,  and  whether  as 
clerk  or  laic,  devoted  himself  to  works  of  charity  and 


THE   ARCHITECT   OF   S.   SERNIN  371 

public  utility.  He  threw  two  stone  bridges  over  the 
Hers,  founded  the  hospital  which  became  later  the 
"  College  S.  Raymond,"  and  contributed  largely  both 


CAI'ITALS    IN    THIFOKIUM,    S.    SERNIN,    TOULOUSE. 

in  money  and  personal  service  to  the  continuation  of 
the  works  of  S.  Semin.  Since  he  was  neither  provost 
nor  a  great  dignitary,  if  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  work 
(as  he  was),  it  could  only  be  as  artist  and  capable 


372  TOULOUSE 

practician.  The  first  architect,  after  having  arranged 
the  plan  of  the  church  and  commenced  the  choir,  was 
probably  called  to  Compostella,  but  left  behind  him 
a  pupil  capable  of  replacing  him  during  his  absences  ; 
this  may  very  possibly  have  been  Raymond.  After 
a  time  the  master  stayed  at  Compostella,  and  then 
Raymond's  full  control  commenced.  The  note  in 
the  necrology,  when  he  died  in  1118,  states  that  the 
circuit  of  the  walls  was  then  finished  as  high  as  the 
completion  of  the  windows.  Raymond's  plan  was  to 
lay  out  the  whole  extent  of  the  building,  so  as  to  enable 
it  to  be  roofed  over  temporarily,  in  contradistinction 
to  the  usual  medieval  fashion  of  proceeding  by  slices 
of  the  full  height,  and  it  seems  certain,  therefore,  that 
the  double  aisles  (which  neither  S.  Foy,  Conques,  nor 
S.  lago,  Compostella,  have)  are  due  to  him.  Above 
the  dark  vaulted  passage  round  the  apse,  which  has 
eleventh -century  characteristics,  brick  is  substituted 
for  cut  stone  ;  this  means  a  rebuilding  of  the  apse  above 
the  piers.  As  the  nave  goes  west  the  caps  become 
poorer,  as  do  the  windows  externally,  indicating  the 
scattering  of  the  resources  which  had  been  concen- 
trated upon  one  object.  In  the  transepts  is  a  most 
precious  collection  of  capitals  ;  they  were  probably 
finished  by  1125  or  1130,  though  many  of  them  show 
the  preparation  for  the  addition  of  further  ornamental 
detail.  They  total  nearly  500.  The  style  of  the 
carving  of  these  caps  confirms  the  approximate  date 
given  by  the  texts.     The  apse  up  to  the  vaulted  gallery 


PROGRESS   OF  THE   BUILDING  373 

and  the  transepts  up  to  the  galleries  were  built  between 
1076  and  1096  ;  the  nave  and  aisles  from  the  transept 
to  the  porch,  and  the  square  towers  of  the  facade  also 
up  to  the  galleries,  from  1096  to  11 18  ;  the  galleries,  the 


CAPITALS    IN    TRIFORIUM,    S.    SERNIN,    TOULOUSE. 

sculpture  of  the  transepts  and  the  eastward  arcades  of 
the  galleries  above  the  aisles,  the  doors,  the  upper 
walls,  and  the  vaults,  from  about  1120  to  the  end  of 
the  twelfth  century.     The  caps  of  the  apse  and  of  the 


374  TOULOUSE 

aisles  have  the  same  character  of  imitation  of  the 
Corinthian  ;  those  of  the  galleries,  cut  with  greater 
art,  also  show  the  influence  of  Oriental  imported  objects. 
Those  with  figure  subjects  are  very  inferior  to  those 
from  the  cloisters  of  S.  Etienne  and  La  Daurade 
preserved  in  the  museum,  which  goes  to  prove  their 
greater  antiquity.  The  caps  of  the  engaged  columns 
in  the  aisles  as  far  as  the  end  near  the  bases  of  the  towers 
resemble  those  in  the  apse  based  on  Corinthian.  There 
are  also  figure  subjects  :  in  the  apse,  Daniel  in  the  Lions' 
Den  ;  in  the  north  transept,  Jacob  and  Laban,  and 
Christ  between  SS.  Peter  and  Thomas  ;  in  the  south 
transept  two  angels  killing  dragons,  a  scene  reproduced 
in  the  triforium  gallery,  and  two  monsters  devouring 
the  head  of  a  proud  man,  as  on  one  of  the  caps  near  the 
Gate  of  the  Seven  Sins.  The  caps  of  the  twin  arches 
in  the  triforium  are  of  the  twelfth  century.  Those  in 
the  transepts  are  the  finest  in  the  church,  with  those 
at  the  west  door.  In  the  middle  of  the  south  transept 
is  one  with  Christ  in  an  aureole  supported  by  angels 
already  referred  to.  The  sacrifice  of  Abraham  occurs 
on  one  of  the  high  columns  of  the  other  transept. 

The  west  door  was  at  first  where  the  steps  descend 
from  the  narthex  into  the  nave.  In  1160  it  was  deter- 
mined to  lengthen  the  nave,  and  the  lower  portion  of 
the  towers  is  of  this  date.  M.  Lahondes  suggests  that 
the  five  early  reliefs  now  encrusted  in  the  wall  of  the 
crypt  belonged  to  the  original  west  doorway.  About 
1210  the  towers  were  raised  and  the  design  altered. 


376  TOULOUSE 

Towards  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century  the  crypt 
was  enlarged  and  heightened,  and  then  the  tower  was 
built.  The  seals  give  the  appearance  of  the  church 
with  these  successive  changes. 

The  last  high  columns  of  the  nave  have  caps  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  seven  of  the  arches  of  the 
vaulting  of  the  triforium  on  the  north  are  pointed 
instead  of  being  semicircular,  and  five  on  the  south. 
In  the  north  gallery  ten  of  the  caps  are  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  period  of  the  pretty  arch  opposite  the 
Rue  du  Taur.  The  resemblance,  and  even  identity, 
in  details  between  several  of  the  earlier  caps  with  those 
of  the  cloister  at  Moissac  proves  them  contemporary. 
Others  closely  resemble  eagle  caps  in  the  Palace  of 
Barbarossa  at  Gelnhausen,  a  curious  rapprochement 
between  French  and  German  Romanesque.  In  the 
museum  is  a  splendid  collection  of  early  capitals  from 
the  destroyed  cloisters  of  S.  Sernin,  S.  Etienne,  and 
La  Daurade,  with  other  sculptures  of  the  same  period, 
the  twelfth  century.  The  talent  of  the  sculptors  of  the 
Tolosan  school  is  well  shown  in  these  carvings,  and  also 
their  limitations.  As  in  the  cloister  of  Moissac  the 
ornamental  work  is  more  successful  than  the  figure 
sculpture,  which  often  allows  itself  quaintness  and 
even  awkwardness  of  gesture  for  the  sake  of  balance 
in  line  and  mass. 

The  influence  of  Oriental  objects  such  as  ivories 
and  patterned  stuffs  is  very  evident,  and  details  of 
costume  are  sometimes  studied  from  that  worn  by 


THE  CATHEDRAL  377 

the  Jews  in  Western  Europe  ;  as  is  the  case  at  Aries 
and  St.  Gilles,  though  in  Provence  the  tradition  of 
Gallo-Roman  design  and  technique  was  more  insistent. 
Still,  Toulouse  also  had  her  antique  sculpture  manu- 
factory at  Martres  Tolosane,  and  works  were  produced 
there  not  inferior  to  those  carved  at  Aries,  though  it 
is  a  curious  fact  that  the  sarcophagi  with  figures  and 
architectural  framing  were  not  produced  at  Toulouse, 
which  preferred  the  flat  foliage  patterns,  of  which 
examples  are  to  be  seen  in  the  cloister  at  Elne  and 
elsewhere.     There  is  one  in  the  museum  here. 

The  Cathedral  of  S.  Etienne  has  a  curiously  dis- 
located appearance  from  the  manner  in  which  the 
plan  is  arranged.  The  nave  is  the  oldest  part,  a  wide, 
aisleless  structure  of  the  early  part  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  with  a  large  rose-window  in  the  western 
fagade.  It  was  no  doubt  intended  to  be  rebuilt  after 
the  choir  was  completed,  which  at  present  is  not 
aligned  with  it,  only  a  portion  of  the  arch  opening  into 
the  nave.  It  was  commenced  in  1272,  and  resembles 
that  at  Narbonne  so  closely  as  to  make  it  pretty 
certain  that  the  same  architect  was  employed,  which  is 
all  the  more  likely  since  it  is  known  that  the  Bishop 
of  Toulouse  advised  the  Archbishop  of  Narbonne  in 
the  matter.  It  was  much  longer  in  hand  than  S.  Just, 
Narbonne,  and  the  choir  was  not  completed  till  the 
sixteenth  century.  After  a  fire  in  the  seventeenth 
century  it  was  restored  ;  in  the  chapels  arc  stained -glass 
windows  dating  from  the  fifteenth  to  the  seventeenth 

48 


378  TOULOUSE 

centuries.     The  latter  were  painted  by  Jean  and  Andre 

Moles,  who  may  have  been  descendants  of  Amaud 

de  Moles,  who  did  the  celebrated  windows  at  Auch. 

There  are  also  some  metal  screens  which  are  worth  a 

glance. 

Toulouse  has  played  a  considerable  part  in  history, 
to  which  reference  may  be  interesting.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  Tectosages,  and  in  it  was  a  temple  which 
possessed  immense  treasures.  The  endeavour  to  escape 
the  domination  of  Rome  led,  as  it  usually  did,  to  the 
loss  of  the  treasures,  which  were  taken  by  the  Consul 
O.  S.  Ccepio  in  io6  B.C.  Ccepio  was  routed  by  the 
Cimbri,  their  alhes,  next  year,  but  he  was  succeeded 
by  Marius,  and  Toulouse  was  reduced  to  submission. 
After  the  faU  of  the  Roman  Empire  in  419,  it  became 
the  Visigothic  capital,  and  in  507,  after  the  Battle  of 
Vouille,  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Clovis  and  the 
Franks.  In  778  it  was  made  a  county,  and  was  governed 
by  hereditary  Counts  till  it  was  united  to  France  in 
1271.  This  was  the  flowering  time  of  the  city,  when 
commerce  flourished,  and  the  arts  and  hterature  were 
fostered  among  an  enlightened  and  cifltivated  people. 
Unfortunately,  cultivation  produced  tendencies  to 
unorthodox  belief,  and  the  Albigensian  heresy  gave  the 
champions  of  the  Inquisition  an  opportunity  of  satisfy- 
ing their  greed  and  at  the  same  time  posing  as  the 
defenders  of  the  Church.  Raymond  VI .  was  dispossessed 
by  Simon  de  Montf ort  in  1214,  after  the  Battle  of  Muret, 
but  the  city  was  constantly  revolting  until  1229,  when 


CURIOSITIES   OF    RESTAURANTS  379 

Louis  VIII.  succeeded  to  the  claims  of  Amaury,  the  son 
of  Simon  de  Montfort.  This  war  extinguished  the 
Tolosan  school  of  sculpture.  The  University  was 
founded  in  1229,  and  is  the  oldest  in  France  except 
that  of  Paris . 

At  Toulouse  it  is  the  custom  to  close  the  warehouses 
for  two  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  so  that  the 
employes  may  have  dejeuner  in  peace.  One  day  we 
were  having  dejeuner  at  the  Restaurant  du  Capitole, 
where  there  was  a  violinist  who  performed  excellently, 
sitting  and  holding  his  violin  upside  down  upon  his 
knee.  He  had  an  assistant  who  went  round  the  rooms 
with  a  dish  for  contributions,  and  it  was  a  real  pleasure 
to  give  to  a  true  artist  for  such  music,  and  to  compliment 
him  upon  his  attainments. 

Agen  and  Auch. 
We  stopped  at  Agen  on  our  way  to  Auch  to  have 
dejeuner.  One  of  the  items  offered  us  was  preserved 
plums,  enormous  things  a  couple  of  inches  across,  with 
the  stone  removed  and  the  hole  filled  with  the  flesh 
of  another  plum — a  dehcious  speciality  of  Agen.  I 
do  not  know  whether  they  are  plagued  with  snakes 
there,  but  a  tame  mongoose  was  running  about  the 
buffet.  We  had  not  time  to  go  to  the  plateau  of  the 
Hermitage,  which  marks  the  site  of  the  Oppidum  of 
the  Nitiobriges,  to  see  the  two  rock-cut  chapels,  much 
to  our  regret.     The  town  is  the  ancient  Aginnum,  and 


38o  AGEN  AND   AUCH 

many  prehistoric  and  Roman  antiquities  have  been 
found  here,  and  in  the  Mas  d'Agenais,  including  a  very 
fine  statue  of  Venus,  which  is  housed  in  the  museum. 
Agen  was  the  seat  of  a  bishopric  founded  in  the  third 
century,  and  was  also  the  birthplace  of  S.  Foy,  so 
much  honoured  at  Conques. 

The  fine  church  of  S.  Caprais  was  the  object  of 
our  visit  to  the  town,  however — a  building  of  the  second 
half  of  the  twelfth  century  in  its  eastward  portions. 
As  originally  planned,  it  was  to  have  a  nave  vaulted 
in  cupolas  and  a  cupola  on  the  crossing,  as  the  four 
enormous  piers  indicate  ;  a  broad  transept  with  two 
little  chapels  eastwards,  and  a  large  apse  with  three 
little  radiating  apses,  as  at  Cahors  Cathedral.  The 
whole  of  the  eastern  portion  is  fine  Romanesque, 
resembling  the  churches  of  the  Perigord  and  Auvergne 
in  style.  Interrupted  in  the  thirteenth  century,  the 
work  was  taken  up  again  fifty  years  later,  when,  cupolas 
having  gone  out  of  fashion,  quadripartite  vaults  were 
used  instead,  the  crossing  having  a  pointed  vault  with 
eight  ribs,  a  compromise  between  cupola  and  Gothic 
vault.  The  main  apse  is  hghted  by  windows  between 
the  chapels,  which  themselves  have  windows  arranged 
for,  though  some  of  them  have  been  built  up.  Their 
buttresses  are  continued  above  the  springing  of  the 
window  arches  as  columns.  The  central  chapel  has 
a  small  arcade  running  round  above  the  windows,  and 
shallow  buttresses  divide  the  surface  of  the  apse,  the 
roof  cornice  being  always  supported  on  carved  brackets. 


CHURCH   OF   S.   CAPRAIS  381 

All  the  arches  are  round,  and  mouldings  are  only  used 
round  the  windows  of  the  chapels. 

The  apse  is  united  to  the  transept  by  a  bay  vaulted 
with  a  pointed  waggon-vault,  with  a  supporting  arch 
against  which  simple  torus  mouldings  abut,  which  spring 
from  six  colonnettes  round  the  wall,  themselves  sup- 
ported on  engaged  columns.  Though  simulating  vault- 
ing ribs,  their  function  is  simply  decorative.  A  wall 
arcade  of  round  arches  surmounts  the  high  windows 
in  the  wall  of  the  apse  and  the  archivolts  of  two  orders 
of  the  radiating  chapels  alternately.  The  main  arches 
of  the  crossing  are  flat,  unmoulded  and  slightly  pointed, 
like  those  at  S.  Front,  Perigueux.  On  each  face  of 
the  big  piers  is  an  applied  arcade  on  slender  engaged 
columns  ;  three  of  the  piers  containing  staircases  make 
the  arrangement  of  pierced  arches,  as  at  S.  Front, 
impossible.  The  transepts  are  very  short,  a  door  of 
entrance  is  in  the  south  one,  and  three  round-arched 
windows  much  splayed  in  the  north.  Pointed  arches 
occur  in  the  double  archivolts  of  the  eastward  chapels, 
round  each  of  which  runs  a  wall  arcade  of  seven  arches 
on  colonnettes,  a  little  doorway  giving  access  to  the 
main  apse  on  each  side.  In  the  north  transept  above 
the  Romanesque  arcades  a  Gothic  triforium  was  built 
with  a  group  of  three  windows  to  finish  the  composition, 
the  centre  one  largest.  The  vaults  of  the  nave  and  the 
second  story  of  the  western  facade  were  only  finished 
in  1508,  but  the  proportions  of  the  nave  show  that  the 
plan  was  of  much  earlier  date.     The  band  which  goes 


382  AGEN   AND   AUCH 

round  the  apse  and  transept  at  the  springing  of  the 
vaults  is  noticeable,  the  caps  of  the  columns  of  the 
great  piers,  which  show  episodes  in  the  Martyrdom  of 
S.  Caprais  and  the  Marriage  of  Tobias  and  Sarah  (these 
subjects  bearing  inscriptions)  and  the  caps  of  the  great 
arches  of  the  side-chapels  with  the  Assumption  and 
lions,  birds  and  foliage,  and  fantastic  animals,  resem- 
bling those  at  S.  Sernin,  but  unfortunately  the  modern 
restoration  has  included  the  addition  of  a  good  deal  of 
colour,  which  obscures  the  form.  In  the  Gothic  portion 
of  the  north  transept  is  a  splendid  double  bracket,  of 
which  the  canopy  shelters  a  figure  of  a  crowned  per- 
sonage. A  drawing  of  it  is  given  by  Viollet-le-Duc. 
The  chapter-house  is  now  the  chapel  of  the  Ecclesias- 
tical College.  In  the  stylobates  of  the  door  are  carved 
panels  of  two  marble  sarcophagi  of  the  Merovingian 
period.  The  rest  of  the  ornament  is  of  the  twelfth 
century. 

The  Provengal  poet  Jacques  Boe,  known  as  Jasmin, 
lived  in  Agen,  and  the  shop  in  which  he  pursued  his 
calling  of  barber  is  carefully  preserved,  while  a  statue 
has  been  erected  to  him;  and  another  distinguished  man, 
Joseph  Scaliger,  the  Latin  poet,  was  a  native  of  the 
place. 

The  Canal  Lateral  crosses  the  Garonne  close  to  Agen, 
on  a  bridge  aqueduct  of  twenty-three  arches.  The 
stations  near  are  pleasantly  decorated  with  trees  and 
flowers,  the  arrangement  not  being  too  stiff,  as  is 
generally  the  case  in  England. 


A  COMMANDING   POSITION  383 

From  Agen,  or  a  little  beyond  it,  at  the  junction  of 
Bon  Encontre,  the  line  to  Auch  diverges,  crossing  the 
Garonne  by  a  fine  viaduct,  and  ascending  the  Valley 
of  the  Gers.  The  only  place  of  any  importance  passed 
is  Lectoure,  a  town  which  existed  in  the  Roman  period, 
of  which  a  fountain  said  to  have  been  consecrated  to 
Diana  of  Delos  exists,  though  partly  rebuilt  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  The  town  occupies  a  steep  and  almost 
isolated  hill,  and  the  principal  church  was  formerly  a 
cathedral. 

Similarly  the  town  of  Auch  rises  like  a  steep  amphi- 
theatre on  the  left  bank  of  the  yellow  Gers,  which 
separates  it  from  the  suburb  of  Patte  d'Oie,  to  which 
three  bridges  cross.  From  one  of  them,  as  well  as 
from  the  avenue  leading  from  the  station,  the  mass 
of  the  cathedral  and  the  Bishop's  palace  piles  up 
finely,  assisted  by  the  monumental  staircase  of  373 
steps  erected  in  1864,  which  descends  from  the  Place 
de  Salinis  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  Numerous  other 
staircases  also  descend  from  the  high  to  the  lower 
town,  and  all  the  streets  are  steep.  It  was  the  ancient 
Elimberis,  Celtiberian  in  origin,  and  the  capital  of  the 
Auscii,  one  of  the  nine  nations  of  Gascony  conquered 
by  Crassus.  A  bishopric  was  established  here  from 
the  fourth  century,  and  after  the  destruction  of  Eauze 
in  the  eighth,  the  Bishop  became  the  Metropolitan 
of  Novempopulonia.  The  Gallo-Roman  town  was 
on  the  right  bank,  and  important  remains  are  fre- 
quently excavated.     After  its  ruin  by  barbarians  and 


384  AGEN   AND   AUCH 

Saracens,  it  was  rebuilt  on  the  hill  where  the  Castle 
of  the  Counts  of  Armagnac  was  erected  at  a  later  date. 
It  was  the  capital  of  Armagnac,  and  under  the  ancien 
regime  of  all  Gascony,  and  the  seat  of  a  generalite. 

The  monks  of  S.  Orens  built  the  celebrated  priory 
lower  down  the  hill,  of  which  a  small  portion  of  the 
walls  still  exists.  Their  struggles  with  the  Archbishop 
were  notorious  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and,  in  fact, 
filled  the  local  history.  During  the  thirteenth,  fifteenth, 
and  sixteenth  centuries  the  town  suffered  dreadful 
sieges,  but  became  prosperous  in  the  eighteenth 
under  the  government  of  the  Intendant  d'Etigny,  to 
whom  a  grateful  municipality  erected  a  statue  in  front 
of  the  Palais  de  Justice  in  a  tree-planted  space  named 
after  him  the  Cours  d'Etigny. 

It  is  the  cathedral,  with  its  fine  choir  and  windows, 
which  is  the  goal  of  our  artistic  pilgrimage  to  Auch, 
however — a  choir  which  is  one  of  four  singled  out  by 
popular  judgment  as  the  finest  in  France,  the  others 
being  Amiens  and  Brou  (which  He  beyond  the  purview 
of  this  volume),  and  S.  Bertrand  de  Comminges 
described  in  a  previous  chapter.  The  cathedral  was 
originally  built  by  Bishop  Taurin  in  844.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  twelfth  century  it  was  restored. 
Soon  after  Bernard  IV.  of  Armagnac  destroyed  it, 
but  it  was  rebuilt  in  1371.  This  building  was 
burnt  in  1483.  The  Gothic  portion  (with  a  Renais- 
sance flavour)  was  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  it  used  to  be  said  that  it  was  finished  in  1597 


CHOIR   STALLS,   CArilEDKAL,   AUCH. 


To  face  page  j?^. 


INTERIOR   OF   THE   CATHEDRAL  385 

by  Leonard  de  Trappes,  but  the  original  contract 
has  been  found,  proving  that  the  upper  part  of  the 
choir  was  built  from  the  designs  of  Pierre  Levesville 
in  1617  to  1620,  and  cost  25,000  crowns  without  the 
windows.  He  was  of  Orleans,  and  lived  at  Toulouse. 
The  west  front  is  of  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century 
and  classic  in  style.  The  plan  shows  a  broad  nave 
and  two  aisles  flanked  by  lateral  chapels,  a  transept 
without  projection,  a  choir  with  six  square  chapels 
and  five  of  a  polygonal  shape  radiating  round  the 
deambulatory.  The  whole  is  vaulted  with  ribs,  but 
many  Renaissance  details  occur  mixed  with  late  Gothic. 
The  height  to  the  vault  is  about  88  feet  ;  the  length, 
including  the  porch,  no  less  than  334  feet,  and  the 
width  about  73  feet.  The  door  in  the  south  transept 
is  elaborately  carved  in  the  style  of  Francois  I.  (1538  to 
1547).  Some  of  the  same  ornaments  appear  in  the 
carving  of  the  choir  stalls.  The  date  of  the  choir  is 
the  earlier,  1507  to  1550  according  to  the  Abbe  Caneto. 
It  was  commenced  under  the  Cardinal  of  Clermont 
Lodeve,  Archbishop  1507  to  1538,  nephew  of  the 
Cardinal  Georges  d'Amboise,  in  1502  Archbishop  of 
Narbonne.  It  consists  of  113  stalls  including  both 
rows,  carved  in  heart  of  oak,  but  as  finely  worked  as  if 
in  walnut,  and  of  a  beautiful  brown  colour.  Several 
different  hands  are  discernible.  Portions  are  cjuite 
fifteenth-century  Gothic,  and  others  equally  plainly 
Renaissance,  often  worked  with  extraordinary  delicacy. 
The  sacristan  told  us  that  they  are  supposed  to  have 

49 


386  AGEN   AND   AUCH 

been  carved  by  monks,  since  the  name  of  the  carver 
of  the  three  figures  by  the  western  door  is  the  only  one 
known.  The  date  of  1529  appears  on  the  lower  series 
north  of  the  western  entrance  on  a  piece  of  carving 
quite  different  from  the  other  side,  and  later  in 
style  than  what  it  surmounts.  An  inscription  on  the 
pedestal  by  the  entrance  on  the  north,  opposite 
King  David,  runs,  virgini  dicatum  ab  ejus  partu 
MDXLViii,  showing  that  they  were  a  long  time  in 
hand  (as  might  be  expected),  and  a  document  has  been 
found  which  proves  that  in  1552,  when  the  Cardinal 
of  Faenza  was  Archbishop,  they  were  not  completed. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  I  could  detect  the  work  of 
Flemish  and  Italian  hands,  and  on  saying  so  to  the 
sacristan  he  told  me  there  was  a  report  that  Florentines 
had  been  at  Auch  at  the  time,  and  that  a  street  was 
named  after  them.  He  also  said  that  the  three  figures 
over  the  western  door  are  signed,  "Bertin,  menuisier 
deTholose,  1551  ;"  but  Molinier  says  that  the  document 
found  among  the  deeds  in  the  archives  of  Toulouse  is 
dated  March  15,  1552  (old  style),  and  by  it  Dominique 
Bertin,  "menuisier  de  Tholose,"  undertook  to  finish 
a  certain  piece  (not  that  piece)  within  two  years,  the 
other  parties  being  Pierre  Ghinucci,  Sienese  Bishop  of 
Cavaillon,  Vicar-General  of  the  Archbishopric  of  Auch  ; 
Hippolyte  d'Este,  Cardinal  of  Ferrara  ;  and  the  Chapter 
of  the  Cathedral.  This  Dominique  Bertin  was  a  well- 
known  man,  and  in  1556  published  an  epitome  of 
Vitruvius  in  company  with  Jean  Gardet,  at  Toulouse. 


THE  CHOIR  387 

He  figures  in  the  royal  accounts  at  the  same  period 
as  "  Contrerolleur  et  superintendant  des  deniers, 
ediffices  et  reparations  du  palais,  a  Tholouse."  In 
1561  he  appears  again  in  the  accounts  with  the  title 
of  "  Architecte  du  Roy,"  and  "  Cappitaine  de  Luchon, " 
providing  blocks  of  marble  for  the  tomb  of  Henri  H. 
Here  we  have  the  Italian  influence  plainly  enough  in 
the  patrons,  who  may  have  drawn  out  the  scheme,  as 
was  often  done  in  the  earlier  Middle  Ages,  when  the 
Churchmen  settled  the  subjects,  and  the  artist  was 
limited  for  his  originality  to  the  manner  in  which  he 
treated  them. 

On  the  back  of  each  high  stall  is  a  figure,  either  from 
the  Old  or  the  New  Testament,  or  some  allegorical 
personage.  Each  figure  stands  on  a  little  bracket 
decorated  with  arabesques  or  small  subjects.  The 
stalls  are  separated  by  pilasters  which  bear  statuettes 
in  niches  under  a  continuous  canopy  ornamented 
with  flowers  and  leaves,  little  turrets  and  pinnacles. 
Groups  of  statuettes  fill  all  the  comers  of  the  stalls, 
and  there  is  very  little  that  can  be  called  "  grotesque." 
The  graceful  design  and  the  indifference  of  the  artists 
to  the  religious  idea  militate  against  the  ascription  to 
monks,  but  are  quite  in  agreement  with  the  Renais- 
sance feeling  of  both  France  and  Italy.  Christian 
symbolism  is  mingled  with  figures  of  Sibyls,  Fauns, 
Bacchantes,  and  even  Satyrs  ;  Ganymede,  Venus,  and 
Cupid  also  appear.  M.  Molinier  thinks  that  tlie  scheme 
proves  the  original  designer  to  have  been  a  southern  11. 


388  AGEN   AND   AUCH 

The  constructive  features  are  Gothic,  while  most  of  the 
decoration  has  the  appearance  of  being  apphed,  and  is 
Renaissance  in  style.     On  the  elbows,  the  misericords, 
the  screen  portion — indeed,  one  may  say,  everywhere— 
are  traces  of  Italian  art,  copies  of  motifs  of  a  character 
common    in   the   peninsula    or   imitations    of   bronze 
plaques  :  such  as  Vulcan  forging  arms,  Lucretia  stab- 
bing   herself    (copied   from    a    bronze    by    Maderno), 
Hercules  and  Cacus,  Hercules  and  Antaeus,  Hercules 
and  the  Nemean  Lion  (after  the  same),  a  fifteenth  cen- 
tury Milanese  plaque  of  an  antique  knight  and  footman 
fighting,   etc.      The  iconography  is  original  ;   instead 
of  opposing  the  Old  and  New  Law  in  equal  portions, 
as  is  generally  done,  a  large  proportion  is  given  to  the 
Old  Testament,  Prophets,  Kings,  Sibyls,  Virtues,  Evan- 
gehsts.  Fathers  of  the  Church,  and  to  the  glorification  of 
the  patron  of  the  cathedral,  the  Virgin.    At  first  this  pro- 
duces an  impression  of  disorder,  but  one  soon  recognizes 
an  intention  to  depart  from  the  ordinary  iconography. 
The  fine  windows  in  the  choir  were  painted  by  Arnaud 
de  Moles,  and  finished  June  25,  1513  (as  an  inscription 
in  the  Chapel  of  Notre  Dame  d'Auch  states — the  subject. 
Our  Lord  between  S.  Thomas  and  the  Magdalene)  ; 
they  are  regarded  as   the  most  realistic  productions 
of  their  kind  of  the  early  Renaissance.      The  colour  is 
very  fine,  and    the  material  is  treated  in  the    most 
modern  fashion.     The  glass  is  sometimes  a  centimetre 
thick,  or  plated  ;  violet  is  made  by  pale  blue  in  front 
of  red,  green  by  several  layers  of  white,  yellow  and 


.->Oi;ill    IJDOK.    CAl  lll.liKAI..     \LlH. 


T'>  race  piiKc  3d9. 


THE  WINDOWS  389 

blue,  and  ground  by  the  wheel,  thus  obtaining  white 
points  in  jewellery,  pearls,  etc. ;  verily,  there  is  nothing 
new  under  the  sun !  here  are  most  of  the  latest 
American  dodges.  The  series  begins  with  the  Creation 
to  the  east  of  the  north  door,  in  the  Chapel  of  Purgatory. 
Patriarchs,  Prophets,  Apostles,  and  Sibyls  are  repre- 
sented standing  royally  costumed  and  surrounded  by 
extraordinarily  complex  architectural  details. 

In  the  Chapel  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  is  a  fine  sixteenth- 
century  marble  altar,  with  a  group  of  the  entombment, 
and  in  the  crypt  the  sarcophagus  of  S.  Leothade 
(t  715)  ;  while  a  curious  fifteenth-century  winding 
staircase  in  the  north  transept  appears  at  first  to  be 
without  a  newel,  since  one  looks  up  a  hole  where  it 
might  be  expected  to  be.  The  sacristan  told  us  that 
the  internal  mouldings  fitted  the  shoulders,  and  that 
it  was  possible  to  slide  from  the  top  to  the  bottom 
upon  them.  They  appeared  so  well  poHshed  that  it 
was  probable  that  he  spoke  from  knowledge  ;  but  we 
were  not  tempted  to  make  the  experiment !  The 
south  door  is  elaborately  and  beautifully  carved,  with 
arabesques  and  fanciful  canopies,  traceries  and  pierced 
work,  the  st3de  hovering  between  early  Renaissance 
and  florid  late  Gothic.  On  one  of  the  caps  is  the 
signature,  franchiscvs-de-claromo. 

Below  the  cathedral  is  the  Archicpiscopal  palace, 
containing  a  museum  of  twelfth-century  and  other 
archaological  fragments,  with  an  important  antique 
mosaic  of  the  god  Oceanus,  sarcophagi  and  other  local 


390  AGEN   AND   AUCH 

antiquities.     The  Tour  de  Cesar  or  d'Ante,  a  fifteenth- 
century  tower,  stands  close  by. 

There  is  also  a  small  museum  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville, 
and  on  the  staircase  of  the  Priory  of  S.  Orens  are  a 
few  antique  fragments  and  inscriptions,  a  statue  of 
S.  Orens,  and  a  figure  of  Venus,  said  to  have  been  broken 
by  the  saint  himself.  At  the  Church  of  S.  Orens  there 
were  preserved  an  ivory  liturgical  comb  and  an  olifant 
of  the  eleventh  century  (or  twelfth  more  probably, 
judging  from  the  drawings  published  of  it),  said  to  have 
belonged  to  him,  though  he  hved  in  the  fifth.  When 
we  went  to  inquire  for  them,  we  were  told  by  the  cure 
that  the  sacristan  had  stolen  them  three  months  before 
our  visit  !  In  the  Convent  of  the  CordeHers,  now 
occupied  by  the  archives,  military  control,  and  gen- 
darmerie, the  chapter-house  and  a  built-up  gallery  still 
remain  to  show  that  it  was  once  a  fine  architectural 
monument.  The  town  is  not  very  picturesque,  not- 
withstanding its  fine  position.  The  drawing  shows 
a  few  old  houses  at  the  angle  of  the  square  in  front  of 
the  cathedral.  Certain  things  are  incredibly  cheap 
at  Auch,  although  France  is  a  Protectionist  country. 
My  companion  wanted  a  little  knife,  and  in  a  shop  in 
the  street  which  opens  here,  we  found  penknives  with 
handles  inlaid  with  mother-o' -pearl  for  fourpence  ! 
We  saw  garden  seats  of  iron  and  wood,  painted  green, 
marked  up  at  i  franc  95  centimes,  which  is  about  is.  yd., 
and  white  and  red  wine  was  to  be  had  in  many  places 
for  2^d.  the  litre  ! 


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392  MOISSAC 

MOISSAC. 

The  town  of  Moissac,  the  chief  town  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Tarn  and  Garonne,  hes  on  the  hne  between 
Montauban  and  Agen,  on  the  Tarn,  shortly  before  it 
falls  into  the  Garoime.  When  we  visited  it,  we  stayed 
at  Montauban  for  the  night,  a  considerable  town  and 
the  seat  of  a  Bishop,  but  without  much  to  interest  the 
traveller  in  search  of  the  picturesque  or  of  artistic 
treasures.  Three  things  must  be  excepted  from  this 
judgment,  however:  the  fourteenth  -  century  brick 
bridge  over  the  Tarn,  crossing  the  river  high  above  the 
turbid  stream,  with  pointed  arches  and  formerly 
fortified  ;  the  Place  Nationale,  a  market-place  sur- 
rounded by  double  arcades  of  brick,  with  gates  at  the 
corners,  which  affords  enchanting  effects  of  light  and 
shade  at  certain  times  of  the  day  ;  and  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,  the  ancient  castle  of  the  Counts  of  Toulouse, 
added  to  by  the  Black  Prince,  though  subsequently 
altered,  and  containing  the  collections  of  Ingres,  who 
was  a  native  of  the  city.  In  the  sacristy  of  the  cathe- 
dral is  also  an  important  picture  by  him,  "The  Vow 
of  Louis  XIII." 

Moissac  is  a  town  of  very  ancient  origin,  and  the 
important  Abbey  of  S.  Pierre,  of  which  the  church 
and  cloisters  remain,  is  beUeved  to  have  been  founded 
before  650  by  S.  Amand,  its  history  commencing  with 
a  diploma  given  by  Pepin  II.  of  Aquitaine  in  844,  in 
which  this  is  referred  to.     It  was  devastated  succes- 


POSSESSIONS  OF  THE  ABBEY  393 

sively   by    Saracens   and   Normans,    and   was   partly 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1042,  which  obhged  the  Abbot, 
Durandus,  to  rebuild  the  church.     After  affiliating  his 
monastery  to  the  Order  of  Cluny  (in  1053,  confirmed 
two  years  later  by  the  Council  of  Toulouse),  he  con- 
secrated the  church  in  1063.     In  1618  the  abbey  was 
secularized,  and  was  served  b}^  a  Chapter  of  Augus- 
tinian  Canons  till  the  Revolution,  when  it  was  sup- 
pressed.    It  exercised  suzerainty  over  the  region,  and 
in  its  earty  years  had  a  thousand  monks,  if  the  chronicle 
of  xAymeric  de  Peyrac  (who  was  Abbot  1377  to  1406) 
may  be  believed.     It  counted  among  its  vassals  the 
powerful    Counts    of   Toulouse,    those    of    Bruniquel, 
Durfort,  Malauze,  Montesquieu,  and  Puycornet.     Its 
religious   authority  was   also   great.     The    Abbey    of 
Vabre  in  the  diocese  of  that  name,  of  Eysses  in  the 
Diocese  of  Agen,  of  Lezat  in  that  of  Rieux,  of  S.  Pierre 
de  la  Cour  in  that  of  Toulouse,  of  S.  Paul  de  Valoles 
in    that    of    Narbonne,    of   Aries   in    that    of    Elne, 
and  of  S.  Pedro  de  Camprodon  in  that  of  Gerona  in 
Spain,   were   all   under   its   jurisdiction.     Its  priories 
numbered  thirty-seven,  and  more  than  one  hundred 
churches  were  under  it.     The  Abbot  had  the  right  of 
using  episcopal  insignia,  and  of  conferring  the  tonsure. 
On  his  first  visit  to  Cluny  he  released  prisoners  and  gave 
the  solemn  benediction.     Then  he  received  the  keys 
of  the  castles  of  the  abbeys  from  the  hands  of  the 
monks,  who  defiled  in  procession  before  him. 

Moissac  was  formerly  an  isolated  portion  of  Quercy 

50 


394  MOISSAC 

surrounded  by  Languedoc.  Devastated  by  the  Visi- 
goths in  the  fifth  century,  taken  successively  by  the 
soldiers  of  Clovis,  of  Vaiffre,  Duke  of  Aquitaine,  and 
Pepin  ;  burnt  in  the  eleventh  century  by  Vivien,  Count 
of  Lomagne,  and  a  century  later  again  destroyed  by 
a  conflagration  ;  then  sacked  by  Simon  de  Montfort, 
it  was  dismantled  and  deprived  of  its  ditches  by  the 
treaty  of  Meaux  after  1229.  Again  fortified  in  1271, 
after  the  county  of  Toulouse  had  been  united  to  the 
French  Crown,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English  in 
1370,  and  later  suffered  a  great  deal  in  the  wars  of 
religion.  Of  the  walls  only  a  few  fragments  remain, 
built  into  houses  on  the  Boulevard  de  1' Hospice  to  the 
north-east  of  the  town. 

The  cloister  is  the  most  celebrated  portion  of  the 
ecclesiastical  buildings,  exhibiting  as  it  does  very 
fine  examples  of  both  the  earlier  and  later  Tolosan 
schools  of  sculpture,  the  later  carvings  exhibiting  the 
craftsmen  at  as  high  a  level  as  anything  to  be  seen 
in  Toulouse  itself. 

In  one  of  the  cloister  walks  are  a  few  fragments  with 
ninth-century  patterns  upon  them,  probably  found 
during  excavations,  but  proving  that  a  decorated  build- 
ing existed  on  the  spot  at  that  period.  The  cloister 
has  twenty-two  arches  on  each  long  side,  and  twenty 
on  the  shorter  ;  the  colonnettes  alternately  single  and 
twin,  and  with  a  rectangular  pier  at  each  angle,  and 
in  the  centre  of  each  side.  Each  angle  has  reliefs  of 
the  figures  of  two  Apostles,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 


THE  CLOISTER  395 

eastern  gallery  is  the  effigy  of  Abbot  Durandus.  One 
figure,  that  of  S.  Simon,  faces  towards  the  garth  ;  the 
rest  are  inside  the  cloister  walk.  Here  and  there  is 
the  springing  of  an  arch  towards  the  garth,  the  mould- 
ings are  the  same  as  in  the  pointed  arches  which  sur- 
round the  cloister.  A  good  many  of  the  colonnettes 
are  of  a  streaked 
marble  something 
like  cipollino,  and 
others  are  of  a 
mottled  reddish  or 
brownish  material. 
Some  of  them  are 
of  a  grey  stone, 
but  most  of  them 
are  whitish.  On 
one  of  the  caps 
are  Arabic  letters, 
badly  copied  by  a 
carver  who  did  not 

know  their  mean-       \^^^  ^,  church  and  cloister,  mo^c. 
ing.     The  galleries 

were  formerly  paved  with  encrusted  and  varnished 
tiles,  drawings  of  which  were  preserved  by  Chevalier 
du  Mege,  and  specimens  were  found  in  the  upper 
chapel  of  the  Abbot's  palace  These  were  placed 
there  by  Bertrand  de  Montaigut  at  the  end  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  a  strange  discovery  made  in 
1872   appears  to   have  brought   to  light  some  of  the 


396  MOISSAC 

matrices  used  in  their  manufacture.  In  demolishing 
an  old  wall  at  Castelnau-sur-l' Auvignon,  twelve  matrices 
for  inlaid  tiles  were  found  above  a  skeleton  ;  five  of 
tliem  showed  designs  which  occur  in  this  chapel,  and 
similar  tiles  are  found  at  Belleperche  and  Grandselve. 

The  cloister  was  commenced  under  Abbot  Ansquetil 
(1085-1115)  ;  the  piers,  except  for  their  abaci,  are  of 
this  date,  and  the  figure  of  Durandus  is  said  by  the 
chronicle  to  be  Ansquetil' s  own  work.  The  cloister 
inscription  gives  iioo  as  the  date  of  its  completion. 
It  was  finished  by  his  successor.  Abbot  Roger,  to  whom 
the  magnificent  caps  are  due  (1115-1131),  though 
some  few  of  them  belonged  to  the  earlier  church,  as 
did  some  of  the  colonnettes.  These  are  distinguished 
by  their  not  fitting  either  base  or  cap,  and  having  the 
astragal  worked  on  them. 

The  splendid  doorway  is  now  on  the  south  side  of 
the  narthex,  and  forms  a  porch  with  richly  carved  walls. 
The  great  arch  rests  on  four  columns,  two  on  each  side, 
of  which  the  very  dehcately  carved  caps  are  ornamented 
with  griffins  entwined  in  arabesque  scrolls.  Up  to  the 
height  of  the  caps  the  spaces  between  are  bevelled  and 
carved  ;  on  the  outside  are  globular  fruits,  on  the  inside 
animals  with  the  body  of  a  fish,  but  with  heads  of  all 
kinds  of  creatures.  The  lateral  walls  are  covered  with 
a  triple  row  of  sculptures  of  the  greatest  interest.  On 
the  right  below  are  the  Visitation  and  the  Annuncia- 
tion ;  above,  under  the  two  arcades,  the  Adoration 
of  the  Magi ;  higher  still  the  Presentation  on  the  right. 


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SIDE   OF   THE    GREAT    DOORWAY,    MOISSAC. 


398  MOISSAC 

the  Flight  into  Egypt  on  the  left.     On  the  left  side, 
below   are    figures    of    Luxury    and    Avarice.     These 
subjects  only  appeared  towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth 
century,  and  therefore  are  a  criterion  of  the  period. 
Avarice  is  an  old  man  devoured  by  a  horned  demon, 
with  a  poor  mendicant  at  his  side.     Above,  under  the 
arcades  to  the  right,  the  Death  of  the  Avaricious  Man  ; 
on  the  left  His  Damnation,  and  the  Shameless  Woman 
tormented  by  Demons  ;  higher  still  on  the  right,  the 
Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  on  the  left  Abraham  nimbed, 
and  another  patriarch  also  nimbed.     The  door  is  two- 
leaved,  between  which  a  well-carved  pier  bears  three 
couples  of  crossed  lionesses  of  fine  style  above  each 
other,  with  figures  in  relief  on  the  sides,  Isaiah  on  the 
right  and  S.  Peter  on  the  left.      Tw^o  fine  storiated 
caps    above    support    a    well-carved    lintel    of    white 
marble,  part  of  an  older  construction.     It  is  decorated 
with  eight  rosettes  and  two  halves  of  a  similar  design 
to  some  on  an  early  fragment  in  the  museum  at  Cahors, 
and  on  the  door  of  the  north  transept  at  Conques.   The 
same  kind  of  form  also  appears  in  the  background  of 
the  pier  between  the  lionesses.     In  front  of  the  half 
rosettes  are  half-beasts  vomiting  a  cord,  which  sur- 
rounds each  rosette  intertwining.     MM.  Lasteyrie  and 
Brutails  think  this  pattern  a  twelfth -century  reproduc- 
tion  of   a   Gallo-Roman   motif.     The  lionesses'    tails 
terminate  in  bud  forms,  bearing  a  close  resemblance 
to  details  found  in  Assyrian  sculptures.     The  wall  of 
the  porch,  pierced  here  and  there  with  little  loopholes, 


I'AKT    OF    Till-:    (;RI:AT    I)()f)K\VAY.    MOISSAC. 


400  MOISSAC 

has  no  ornament,  but  two  columns  nearly  30  feet  in 
height,  one  on  each  side  of  the  door,  and  a  row  of 
modillions  below  the  first  range  of  battlements.  This 
cornice  goes  round  the  corner,  and  there  is  a  second 
on  the  west  and  north  sides  beneath  the  windows  of 
the  earher  building  on  the  level  of  the  upper  battle- 
ments. One  of  the  south  modillions  represents  the 
Trinity  by  three  heads  intimately  connected.  On  one 
of  the  great  columns  is  a  figure  of  a  monk  without  a 
nimbus,  while  the  other  is  occupied  by  a  statue  of  Abbot 
Roger.  He  is  vested  pontifically,  and  is  accompanied 
by  a  five-lined  inscription  running  bea  (tu)  s.  rogerius 
ABBAS.  There  is  a  mutilated  projecting  stone  to 
shelter  the  figure  from  the  rain. 

The  arch  has  three  orders,  with  ornaments  carved 
between  the  rolls,  which  continue  the  slender  colon- 
nettes  of  the  jambs.     Small  caps  without  abaci  mark 
the  springing  of  the  arch.     The  angles  between  these 
colonnettes  bear  rows  of  rats  or  rabbits,  of  birds  like 
quails,  and  a  sort  of  rosette  with  spread  petals.     The 
back  of  the  central  pier  is  covered  with  a  scale  pattern. 
On  one  side  of  the  door  is  a  figure  of  S.  Peter  in  relief, 
holding  the  keys,  and  with  a  Hon  beneath  his  feet. 
His  position  is  cramped  with   head   and  neck   pro- 
truding, and  his  feet  are  shod  with  a  sole  without  visible 
attachment.     On   the  scalloped   edge   of  the   door  a 
folded  ribbon  pattern  is  commenced.      On  the  other 
side  in  a  corresponding  position  is  a  figure  of  Isaiah, 
with  a  roll  inscribed   "  Ecce  virgo  concipiet."     The 


CARVING    OF   THE  TYMPANUM  401 

tympanum  is  filled  with  a  grand  composition.  A  large 
figure  of  Christ  enthroned,  holding  on  His  left  knee  a 
closed  book  and  blessing  with  His  right  hand  in  the 
Latin  manner,  occupies  the  centre.  He  is  seated  on 
a  cushion  embroidered  with  stars,  beneath  which  the 
starred  mandorla  terminates.  He  wears  a  square  crown, 
and  has  a  cruciferous  nimbus.  Around  Him  are  the 
EvangeHsts'  symbols,  Matthew  and  John  above  because 
they  had  seen  Christ ;  two  tall  angels  stand  beyond, 
one  on  each  side.  All  the  nimbi  are  ornamented. 
The  two  angels  have  each  six  wings,  the  symbols  of  the 
Evangelists  four.  Below  and  at  the  sides  are  the 
twenty-four  elders,  seated  on  thrones,  also  wearing 
square  crowns,  the  four  at  the  top  larger  than  the 
others  to  fill  the  space  ;  in  one  hand  they  hold  a  musical 
instrument,  in  the  other  a  cup  ;  their  feet  are  bare,  and 
they  have  long  hair  ;  all  are  turning  towards  the  central 
figure. 

The  church  consists  of  a  nave  of  four  bays  of  cross 
vaults,  with  a  choir  of  three  bays,  and  a  seven-sided 
apse  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  nave  is  bordered 
by  a  series  of  chapels,  with  deep-pointed  arches  sup- 
porting a  gallery  ;  and  the  choir  also  has  chapels.  The 
nave  is  about  40  feet  wide,  the  choir  about  56  feet,  and 
the  total  length  about  196  feet,  of  which  the  choir  and 
apse  occupy  some  95  feet.  The  vaults  are  about 
60  feet  high,  with  prismatic  vaulting  ribs,  and  the  arms 
of  France  and  of  Abbot  Pierre  de  Carman  on  the 
bosses.     The  building  is  lighted  by  nine  flamboyant 

51 


402  MOISSAC 

windows.  The  present  building  appears  to  have  been 
constructed  in  the  fourteenth  century  on  the  remains 
of  a  church  with  cupolas,  of  which  traces  still  remain, 
and  which  replaced  the  original  church.  In  the 
sanctuary  is  the  dedicatory  inscription  of  the  eleventh- 
century  church,  and  in  the  nave  is  a  fine  sarcophagus 
of  the  sixth  or  seventh  century,  in  which  Abbot 
Raymond  de  Montpezat  was  afterwards  buried.  He 
was  living  in  1245.  There  is  also  an  interesting  wooden 
crucifix  of  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century,  the  cross 
treated  like  a  vine-stock  with  stems  issuing  from  it. 

The  walls  of  the  nave,  with  windows  of  Romanesque 
type,  now  filled  up,  and  some  remains  of  the  cupolas, 
of  which  the  springing  of  the  pendentive  may  be  seen, 
M.  Rupin  estimates  as  being  of  the  middle  of  the 
eleventh  century.  M.  Anthyme  de  S.  Paul  found  a 
mention  in  Gallia  Christiana  of  a  dedication  in  1180, 
which  it  is  thought  may  be  that  of  this  cupola  church 
(S.  Front,  Perigueux,  was  consecrated  in  1172).  The 
arrangement  of  the  twelve  arches  of  the  upper  room 
of  the  tower  above  the  narthex  shows  that  the  windows 
were  intended  to  open  into  a  church  which  had  a 
vault,  but  on  the  wall  in  the  interior  of  the  church  the 
arch  for  the  cupola  cuts  these  windows.  Thus  the 
cupola  church  and  the  envelope  of  the  north,  south, 
and  perhaps  west,  of  the  porch  are  later  than  the 
porch  and  bell-tower,  the  caps  of  which  on  the  ground 
story  have  figures  of  lionesses  on  them  which  re- 
semble those  on  the  central  pier  of  the  great  doorway. 


THE  PORCH   AND  TOWER  403 

so  closely  as  to  be  probably  due  to  the  same  hand. 
The  vault  of  the  upper  story  has  twelve  arches  meeting 
in  a  central  oculus  for  the  passage  of  the  bells,  while 
below  square  ribs  fall  on  columns  so  arranged  as  to 
prove  that  the  vaulting  was  foreseen  from  the  begin- 
ning. All  the  arches  are  round,  and  the  arrangement 
where  the  arches  cross  shows  that  the  work  is  an  early 
example  of  the  quadripartite  vault.  The  study  of  the 
masonry  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cupola  church 
and  the  envelope  of  the  porch  were  contemporary. 
The  abbey  was  ruined  by  the  Albigensian  wars,  and 
only  revived  under  Bertrand  de  Montaigut  (1260- 
1293),  who  replaced  the  original  arches  by  pointed 
arcades  of  brick.  Then  the  porch  was  fortified  and 
crenellated  to  the  west,  and  perhaps  the  great  doorway 
removed  to  the  south.  The  church  was  again  ruined 
by  the  wars  of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  restored 
by  Aymeric  de  Roquemaurel,  who  reconsecrated  it 
November  4,  1435.  At  this  time  the  fifteenth-century 
groups  in  the  chapels  were  added. 

Aymeric  de  Peyrac,  the  chronicler,  states  that 
Abbot  Ansquetil  finished  the  doorway,  and  that  the 
scales  on  the  back  of  the  central  pier  were  put  as 
memorials  of  his  name.  The  inscription  says  that  he 
finished  the  cloister  in  iioo.  Abbot  Roger,  his  suc- 
cessor, worked  at  the  cloister,  but  his  caps  and  colon- 
nettes  against  the  piers  have  no  connection  with  them, 
except  the  abaci,  which  are  of  limestone,  and  not  of 
marble,  proving  that  they  are  additions  (with  the  ex- 


404  MOISSAC 

ception  of  two).  Burnt  in  1188,  the  cloister  was  not 
restored  till  1271  by  Abbot  de  Montaigut.  The 
chronicler  says  that  he  restored  the  monastery,  enlarged 
it,  and  surrounded  it  with  defensive  walls.  Possibly 
it  was  at  this  time  that  the  great  doorway  was  moved 
to  the  south  side,  the  displacement  being  due  to  the 
necessities  of  fortification,  when  two  little  rooms  were 
arranged  half-way  between  the  two  levels,  in  the 
south-west  angle  of  the  fortified  envelope.  M.  Rupin 
lays  stress  on  the  square  crowns  and  the  character  of 
the  elders'  instruments  as  defining  the  date.  Aymeric 
de  Peyrac  ascribes  the  great  tympanum  to  Abbot 
Hunaud  de  Gavarret  (1072-1085).  The  square  crown 
is  also  found  in  the  eleventh-century  paintings  at 
S.  Savin,  Vienne,  and  the  instruments  are  of  the  same 
period.  After  the  twelfth  century  "  vielles  "  are  always 
represented  with  two  strings,  in  the  thirteenth  with 
five,  in  the  fourteenth  with  seven.  M.  de  Lasteyrie 
held  that  the  difference  between  the  early  rehefs  and 
those  of  the  porch  is  so  great  that  the  porch  must  be 
later  than  iioo.  The  lintel  is  not  original;  it  is  made 
of  three  narrow  blocks,  and  on  the  lower  portion  is  a 
pattern  in  low-reHef,  which  is  partly  covered  by  the 
abaci.  In  the  right  block  this  ornamentation  is  different, 
though  of  the  same  style,  and  the  upper  surface  also 
is  decorated.  These  patterns  in  treatment  resemble 
the  ornament  on  the  Merovingian  sarcophagus. 

In  1030  the  vault  of  the  church  fell  in  ;  a  little  later 
the  conflagration  due  to  the  Count  of  Lomagne  partly 


DATE  OF  VARIOUS  REBUILDINGS  405 
destroyed  the  monastery.  The  church  fell  down 
entirely  in  1042.  In  1188  a  terrible  fire  burnt  most  of 
the  town,  and  destroyed  the  bell-towers  of  the  monas- 
tery. In  the  next  year  the  town  was  taken  by  assault 
by  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion,  who  kept  it  till  1197.  In 
1212  it  was  taken  by  Simon  de  Montfort,  and  the 
reprisals  of  Raymond  VI.,  Count  of  Toulouse,  against 
those  who  had  abandoned  his  cause  (among  whom 
was  the  Abbot),  would  not  allow  of  the  monastery 
being  repaired.  It  was  not  till  long  after  that  Abbot 
de  Montaigut  was  able  to  do  this,  after  the  union  of 
the  county  of  Toulouse  to  the  Crown.  All  the  buildings 
shown  in  the  carvings  have  round  arches,  so  that  the 
pointed  arches  are  probably  due  to  him.  When  the 
town  walls  were  thrown  down  by  the  treaty  of  Meaux 
(1229),  the  monastery  required  defences  of  its  own. 
It  appears  to  have  been  De  Montaigut  who  did  this 
and  moved  the  door.  The  church  must  have  been  in 
a  bad  state,  for  it  was  reconsecrated  in  1435,  no  d(jubt 
after  considerable  repairs  ;  Pierre  de  Carman  finished 
it  in  brick. 

There  is  a  small  museum  in  the  Abbot's  palace  close 
to  the  church,  and  in  the  chapel  the  thirteenth-century 
paintings  have  been  restored. 

Near  the  station  is  the  curious  church  of  S.  Martin, 
the  fagade  of  which  is  flanked  by  two  cylindrical  masses, 
which  have  been  claimed  to  show  by  their  structure 
a  very  early,  perliaps  Merovingian,  foundation. 


4o6  THE   ART   OF   ROUSSILLON 

The  Art  of  Roussillon. 

The  art  of  Roussillon  is  in  the  main  neither  pictorial 
nor  constructive,  but  decorative.  That  is  to  say,  that 
while  the  artists  seem  to  have  had  a  genuine  feeling 
for  decorative  form  and  the  construction  of  decoration, 
especially  shown  in  ornamental  sculpture,  such  as  the 
fine  capitals  at  Elne  and  Serrabona,  they  have  not 
originated  any  system  of  construction,  being  contented 
to  make  use  of  traditional  forms  and  expedients  which 
lingered  long  in  the  country — ^the  Gothic  being  derived 
from  Catalonia,  with  which  country  the  political  bonds 
were  close,  as  well  as  those  of  language  and  custom. 
Examples  of  painting  may  be  said  to  be  conspicuous 
by  their  absence,  almost  the  only  medieval  examples 
being  the  one  or  two  in  Perpignan. 

The  towers  of  the  churches  generally  served  as 
donjons  for  the  people  of  the  villages,  and  many  of  the 
churches  were  strengthened  by  additional  defensive 
works  at  a  later  date.  At  Luz  and  at  Sentein  are 
completely  fortified  churches,  though  part  of  the  walls 
at  Sentein  have  been  removed.  At  Marcevol  and 
Ropidere  the  door  is  preceded  by  a  barbican.  On  the 
door  at  the  former  place  is  a  detail  which  is  character- 
istic of  the  twelfth  century,  but  M.  Brutails  found 
exactly  the  same  forms  on  one  at  Rigarda,  which  was 
dated  1648  !  At  Elne,  too,  carvings  with  the  character 
of  the  eleventh  century  are  continued  round  the  piers, 
and  cover  brackets  from  which  the  vaulting  ribs  of 


ARCHITECTURAL  CHARACTERISTICS     407 

the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century  start.  At  Ponteilla 
are  two  vaulted  chapels,  which  look  like  work  of  the 
fifteenth  century  ;  but  precise  records  of  their  construc- 
tion in  the  last  third  of  the  eighteenth  have  been  found. 
At  S.  Genis  des  Fontaines  is  an  archaic  framing  to 
a  slab  which  looks  eleventh -century,  but  is  really 
fourteenth.  Thus,  in  ornament  as  in  construction, 
methods  which  had  disappeared  long  before  elsewhere 
still  lasted  in  RoussiUon,  and  the  dating  of  work  by 
such  details  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible.  An  extreme 
instance  is  herring-bone  work,  which  in  this  district 
was  used  until  modern  times.  Here  the  principles  of 
Gothic  were  not  adopted  till  after  the  period  when 
chefs  d'ceuvre  had  been  erected  in  the  north  of  France, 
and  pointed  and  round  arches  being  used  almost  in- 
differently are  equally  without  value  as  a  criterion  of 
date.  The  round-arched  doors  with  enormous  voussoirs 
seen  in  Perpignan  are  quite  Spanish  in  shape,  though 
met  with  also  in  the  Basque  country  and  in  Navarre, 
as  are  the  slender  colonnettes  of  hard  marble  occurring 
in  examples  of  civil  architecture,  looking  almost  as  if 
made  of  cast  iron,  so  unlike  to  the  thickness  which  the 
eye  expects  in  marble  work  is  their  delicate  shmness. 

In  the  Middle  Ages  the  bones  were  frequently  col- 
lected after  the  flesh  had  decayed  and  kept  in  a  small 
stone  chest,  or  in  a  hollow  of  the  waU  behind  a  slab. 
A  collection  of  these  small  sarcophagi  is  preserved  in 
the  Museum  of  S.  Agueda  at  Barcelona,  and  in- 
scribed  slabs  may  be   seen   at    Elne   and    S.   Genis. 


4o8  THE   ART   OF    ROUSSILLON 

When  the  body  had  to  be  transported  any  distance,  it 
was  the  custom  only  to  take  the  skeleton,  and  the  bodies 
were  sometimes  boiled.  A  curious  instance  is  given  by 
an  Abbot  of  Fontfroide  of  the  fourteenth  century,  who 
obtained  a  Bull  allowing  his  body  to  be  cut  up  and 
boiled,  so  that  his  bones  might  be  easily  transported 
thither  if  he  died  away  from  the  abbey.  This  custom 
explains  the  long  delay  in  making  tombs  which  occurred 
in  many  cases.  On  the  fagade  of  S.  Feliu,  Gerona,  is 
quite  a  collection  of  such  small  sarcophagi. 

It  is  curious  that  there  are  practically  no  Roman 
remains  in  Roussillon,  though  the  land  was  in  their 
power  for  more  than  five  centuries.  Details  which 
suggest  the  antique  are  frequently  really  twelfth - 
century  imitations,  and  this  is  equally  true  of  the 
whole  of  the  South  of  France.  The  flower  and  leaf 
forms  used  by  the  Romanesque  carvers  are  nearly  all 
imaginative,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Gothic  feeling 
which  aimed  at  the  imitation  of  Nature.  The  Gothic 
carving  in  high -relief  is  usually  more  successful  than 
the  Romanesque,  the  carvers  appearing  to  be  ham- 
pered by  the  hardness  of  the  stone  and  want  of  ex- 
perience, though  the  monsters  which  so  frequently 
occur  are  always  fine  and  well-composed,  and,  indeed, 
work  of  the  accomplishment  of  the  capitals  at  Elne 
and  Serrabona  is  not  easily  surpassed.  In  the  figures 
the  drill  is  used,  even  in  the  early  part  of  the  eleventh 
century,  to  mark  angles  of  eyes,  irises,  nostrils,  etc.,  the 
holes  being  frequently  filled  with  lead.     The  human 


ARTISTIC    AFFINITIES  409 

figure  is  not  well  treated  till  the  thirteenth  century. 
M.  Brutails  remarks  that  the  type  of  the  effigies  at 
Elne  and  Arles-sur-Tech  is  often  to  be  met  with  in 
the  streets  of  Saragossa  or  the  Catalonian  mountains, 
and  that  they  appear  to  be  really  portraits.  The  nose 
is  straight  and  short,  the  head  square,  set  on  broad 
shoulders,  the  eyes  close  together,  and  the  beard  short 
and  full.  Yet  it  is  not  sculpture  in  the  modern  sense 
for  which  the  craftsmen  of  Roussillon  were  distin- 
guished— they  w^re  primarily  industrial  and  decorative 
artists,  and  in  this  direction  achieved  their  greatest 
successes. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  till  the  eighteenth 
century  the  greater  portion  of  the  territory  now  known 
as  the  Pyrenees  Orientales  was  attached  to  Catalonia, 
so  that  it  is  little  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  artistic 
expression  of  the  two  districts  should  show  close 
affinity.*  The  Romanesque  primitive  architecture  is 
simple  :  the  naves  of  the  churches  are  covered  with 
waggon -vaults,  buttressed  by  quarter-circle  vaults  over 
the  aisles,  and  the  plans  resemble  those  of  the  single- 
naved  Syrian  churches.  The  style  has  also  considerable 
affinities  with  that  of  Provence,  and  though  during  the 
Gothic  period  the  Languedocian  churches  exercised 
great  influence  over  the  architects,  there  are  also  fre- 
quent similarities  with  Italy  and  the  Orient,  easily 
explained  by   the  commercial  relations  between  the 

*  Until  the  twelfth  century  Narbonne  was  the  capital  city  of 
Barcelona,  Gerona  and  Urgel. 

52 


410     LOMBARDY,  ROUSSILLON,  AND  CATALONIA 

countries.  The  alternate  courses  of  red  and  white 
material  in  the  building,  for  instance,  are  found  in 
Arab,  Byzantine,  and  Lombard  architecture  ;  the  cross 
arches  thrown  across  the  nave  bearing  roof  timbers  ; 
the  little  arches  on  corbels  and  pilasters,  the  saw-teeth 
mouldings,  etc.,  which  derive  from  constructional 
expedients  adopted  at  Ravenna. 


Links  between  Lombardy,  Roussillon,  and 
Catalonia. 

The  local  material  in  Roussillon  is  good.  There  are 
quarries  of  white  marble  at  Py,  several  varieties  at 
Villefranche-le-Conflent,  ranging  from  grey  to  red,  a 
red  marble  at  Serdinya,  and  one  of  blue-veined  white 
at  Ceret.  This  last  was  most  frequently  used.  There 
were  also  limestone,  granite,  schistous  slabs,  and 
sandstone  employed  in  less  decorative  building. 

In  Catalonia  externally  traces  of  Lombard  influence 
are  observable  in  the  small  irregular  stones  often  used 
in  the  arches,  piers,  window-framings,  and  cornices, 
but  internally  these  signs  do  not  appear.  The  Lombard 
bands  of  corbelling  and  the  pilaster  strips  are  the  only 
ornament  of  a  large  group  of  buildings  of  the  tenth  and 
eleventh  centuries.  They  are  sometimes  used  inside. 
Between  the  last  work  of  the  Visigothic  decadence  and 
the  eleventh  and  twelfth  century  Romanesque  sculp- 
ture there  is  a  gap  ;  at  this  time  ancient  debris  was 
generally  used.     The  column   only   appears  in  large 


CUPOLAS  411 

openings,  and  in  cloister  galleries,  and  the  capital  is 
cut  to  the  form  of  a  trapezoid  to  adapt  it  to  the  extra- 
ordinary thickness  of  the  walls.     The  simple  type  of 
church    is   very   ancient.      S.  Pere  de  la  Seu  d'Urgel 
in  the  cloister  of    the  Cathedral    of    S.  Maria  is  the 
building  consecrated  in  819,  and  the  little  chapel  of 
S.   Pere  de    Montgrony  appears  to  be  dated    by  its 
dedication  in  834.     M.  Puig  y  Cadafalch  gives  a  list 
of  twenty-five  churches  consecrated  from  904  to  1092, 
all  north  of  the  frontier  described  in  the  will  of  Ramon 
Berenguer  II.  (1096  to  1131).     The  pointed  arch  was 
certainly  known  to  the  Romanesque  architects  of  the 
district.     The   addition   of   supporting   arches   to   the 
vaults  was  a  great  step  forward,  and  is  a  much  greater 
difference    in    construction    than    that    between    the 
round  and  pointed  waggon-vault.     The  bell-towers  of 
S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  Ripoll,  S.  Miguel  de  Fluvia,  Llansa, 
and  of  the  Cathedrals  of  Gerona  and  Vich,  resemble 
those  of  S.  Satiro,  Milan,  and  other  Italian  examples. 
The   Catalan   and   Lombard   cupolas   have   the   same 
arrangement,  eight  sides   enclosing   arches   borne   on 
squinches,  an  identical  exterior  decoration,  a  pyramidal 
roof,    and   frequently    a   bell-turret    surmounting   the 
dome.     This  arrangement  is  quite  different  from  the 
spherical  cupola  on  pendentives  of  the  Spanish  Roman- 
esque outside  Catalonia,  which  is  a  direct  imitation  of 
the    Aquitanian    cupolas.     The    crypts    with    ribbed 
vaults  on  columns  resemble  Lombard  examples  equally, 
as  do  many  details,  such  as  the  windows  with  trape- 


412  LOMBARDY,  ROUSSILLON,  AND  CATALONIA 
zoidal  caps  and  the  Lombard  arches  deeper  at  the  top 
than  the  haunches,  as  found  at  S.  Martin  du  Canigou 
(1009),  and  S.  Vincent  de  Cardona  (1040).  The  vaults, 
on  the  other  hand,  appear  to  be  derived  from  Gallo- 
Roman  examples.  Those  of  the  amphitheatres  of 
Provence  and  of  the  circus  and  amphitheatre  of  Tarra- 
gona are  planned  in  the  same  manner.  The  waggon 
and  continuous  quarter-circle  vaults  are  found  with 
more  or  less  complication  in  a  great  part  of  the  south 
of  France,  and  in  all  Catalonia.  The  use  of  "  Opus 
spicatum  "  with  rolled  pebbles  lasted  for  a  long  time 
in  Roussillon,  and  is  not  necessarily  a  mark  of  great 
age  as  in  other  parts  of  France  and  in  Italy.  The 
ruined  church  at  Corsavy,  consecrated  in  1158,  has  a 
regular  pointed  arched  vault  in  cut  stone.  At  Serra- 
bona  the  ribs  of  the  vault  in  the  pronaos  are  detached 
from  the  vaulting.  At  S.  Pedro  de  Galligans,  Gerona, 
and  in  the  cloister  of  the  Cathedral  are  vaults  with 
similar  ribs  of  about  11 15.  They  appear  to  have  been 
used  to  avoid  the  difficulty  of  cutting  the  voussoirs  at 
the  angle  of  the  two  interpenetrating  vaults,  and  are 
an  artifice  of  the  mason.  The  weakness  of  the  angle 
ribs,  which  being  the  arches  of  largest  span  should  be 
the  strongest,  suggests  a  tradition  of  ornament,  not  of 
use.  In  Roussillon  the  bell-towers  served  as  donjons  for 
the  townsfolk.     They  are  generally  Lombard  in  type. 

There  is  abundant  documentary  evidence  of  the 
presence  of  Lombards  in  Catalonia  from  an  early  date. 
Lombardus,    with    many    variations  —  Langovardus, 


ANCIENT    DOCUMENTS  413 

Langobardus,  Lingobardus,  Langoardus,  Longobar- 
dus — is  found  as  a  personal  name  in  Catalan  docu- 
ments from  the  eighth  century.  During  that  century 
the  country,  which,  at  a  later  date,  was  known  as  Cata- 
lonia, began  to  be  reconquered  from  the  Saracens,  and 
signatures  of  these  names  occur  frequently  as  witnesses 
to  acts  of  donation  to  monasteries  and  churches,  or 
to  consecrations,  sometimes  even  written  in  Greek 
letters,  as  those  of  notaries,  of  persons  estabHshed  in 
the  country  selling  and  buying  land,  of  priests.  Canons, 
or  monks,  of  judges  in  land  disputes,  or  of  witnesses 
of  boundary  settlements.  The  oldest  document  is  a 
donation  to  the  Monastery  of  Gerri  (776).  Italian 
plasterers,  carvers,  etc.,  still  come  to  Catalonia  from 
the  north  of  Italy,  perpetuating  a  connection  which 
has  existed  for  many  centuries.  When  the  contract 
was  made  for  the  construction  of  the  Cathedral  of 
Urgel  in  1175,  the  architect's  name  is  given  as  Raymond. 
The  work  was  to  occupy  seven  years,  and  four  ''  Lom- 
bardos  "  and  four  "  Colleganti  "  were  also  to  be  em- 
ployed. The  vault  is  mentioned,  the  cupola,  and  the 
bell-towers.  If  they  could  not  get  done  in  time, 
cementarios  (masons)  were  to  be  engaged  to  help. 
Probably,  therefore,  Raymond  and  his  Lombards  were 
carvers. 

S.  Maria,  Besalu,  was  consecrated  1055  ;  S.  Maria, 
Sescourts,  1078.  Count  Ermengold  d'Urgel,  in  a 
document  of  donation  to  S.  Maria,  Ripoll,  speaks 
of  his  desire  to  reconstruct  the  church  of  the  monastery 


414   LOMBARDY,  ROUSSILLON,  AND  CATALONIA 
of  Gualter  according  to  the  new  style  "  reedificare  et 
novo  scemate  exaltare,   honorare  vel  opibus  dictare 
cupiens."     All  the  documents  speak  of  a  new  kind  of 
work,  quite  distinct  from  the  construction  in  unworked 
stone,  or  that  quarried  in  the  ordinary  manner  which 
was  used  in  the    foundations  of    S.  Michel  de  Cuxa, 
according  to  the  monk  Garcia.     The  apse  of  La  Seo 
d'Urgel  is  almost  exactly   like   that   of   S.  Crisogono, 
Zara  (1175),  which  bears  considerable  resemblance  to 
those  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  Bergamo  (1137).  and  the 
Cathedral  of  Lucca  (1197),  where  Guidetto  of  Como 
worked.     Its  fagade,  though  simpler,  may  be  compared 
to   S.  Michele    and   S.  Pietro   in   Cielo   d'Oro,  Pavia, 
and,  in  fact,  the  presence  of  Comacines  or  Lombards  is 
proved  up   to  the  hilt   all  along  the  Mediterranean 
Httoral  from   the  borders   of   Italy  to   the   south   of 
Catalonia  in  one  direction,  while  they  are  also  found 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Adriatic  to  the  end  of  Dalmatia, 
in  Servia,  and  far  south  in  the  Itahan  peninsula. 


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INDEX 


Abbey   of   S.  Michel  de  Cuxa,  260- 

266 
Agen,  379-382 

S.  Caprais,  380-382 
Alet,  212,  218 

ruins  of  the  abbey,  213-217 
,,      the  church,  217 
Amelie-les-Bains,  315-319 

,,  Roman  remains, 

316 
Aquitaine,  2,  3,  5 
Aridge  Valley,  202-204 
AriSgeois,  their  character,  205 
Arles-sur-Tech,  319-325 

,,  Church   of    S.    Marie, 

319-323 
„  cloister,  324 

„  reliquaries,  322 

„  water-secreting  sarco- 

phagus, 324 
Art  of  Roussillon,  406-410 
Auch,  383 

cathedral  choir,  385-388 
door  of  south  transept,  389 
S.  Orens,  390 
,,      windows  of  choir,  388 
Aude    Valley,    route    of    Pierre    Lis, 

209-211 
Aulignac,  the  chapel,  i8g 
Ausci,  I 

Ax-les-Thermes,  203,  204 
Axat,  scenery  near,  218,  219 


B 
Bayonne,  60-64 

the  castle,  62 
Cathedral,  62 

wrought   -  iron 
knocker,  64 
,,  ,,  the  cloister,  63 

picture  by  Bon- 
nat      in      S. 
Andre,  64 
Beam,  historical  sketch,  77-81 
Belvianes,  210 
Beneharnenses,  i 
Bethmalese  costumes,  186 
Beziers,  339-347 

Cathedral,  341-344 
La  Madeleine,  344 
,,       monument  to  Jean  d'Olive. 

346-347 
S.  Aphrodise,  344 
S.  Jacques,  etc..  345 
Bigerriones,  2 
Bordeaux, 19 

crypt  of  S.  Fort,  21,  23 

Palais  Gallien,  21 

S.  Croix,  26-30 

S.  Seurin,  22-26 
Boule-Tcrndre,  a  simple  inn,  239,240 


Cabestany,  224 
Carcassonne..  353-3'J2 

„  lower  town,  361-362 


415 


4i6 


INDEX 


Carcassonne,  S.  Nazairc,  359,  360 
upper  town,  355-360 
Cases  de  Pene,  ruined  castle,  221 
Castillon,  S.  Pierre,  183-185 
Catalan  characteristics,  16 
,,       costume,  18 
dances,  17 
Celtiberians,  2 
Ceret,  fountain,  etc.,  314 

,,      the  great  bridge,  313 
Cocosates,  i 
Codalet,    fountain   of   arch    from    S. 

Michel  de  Cuxa,  259 
Consorani,  2 
Convenae,  2 
Corneilla-le-Conflent,  271-275 

the     church, 
273-275 
D 
Dax  Cathedral,  medieval  door,  49 
,,    curious  early  sculpture,  45,  46 
,,    Gallo-Roman  ramparts,  48 
,,    Roman  baths  and  hot  springs,  48 
„    S.  Paul-les-Dax,  43-47 
Domitian  Way,  327 


Elne,  287-302 

,,     early  effigies,  301,  302 
,,     history,  288-290 
,,     the  cathedral,  290-295 
,,     the  cloister,  295-301 

Eluzates,  2 

Espira  de  I'Agly,  221,  222 

Estagel,  holy-water  basin,  221 


Foix,  193-202 

,,     historical  notes,  197,  198 

„     S.  Jean  des  Verges,  202 

„     S.  Volusien,  194,  196 

„     the  castle,  194,  195-198,  199 

,,     Pays  de,  7 

,,     inhabitants'  character,  8,  9 
Fors  of  Beam,  Oloron,  Morlaas,   79, 

80 
Fruit-supplies  for  London,  32-33 


Garunni,  2 
Gascony,  5,  7 
Gaston  de  Foix,  200 

Phoebus,  200,  201 
Gave  d'Oloron,  railway  from  Sauve- 
terre,  65,  66 

H 

Hagetmau,  fine  capitals,  95-97 
,,  the  crypt,  90-98 

J 

Jasmin's  shop  at  Agen,  382 

L 

Lactorales,  2 

Lapurdum,  2,  60 

Lavalanet,  the  church,  207 

Le  Boulon,  Templars'  Church,  303 

Lectoure,  383 

Lez  Valley,  177 

Audressein,    the    church. 

181-182 
Castillon,  183 
Les   Bordes   or   Ourjoux, 
187-189 
,,  Ourjoux    or    Les    Bordes 

Church,  187-189 
,,  "  Pile  "  of  Luzenac,  179 

Sentein,  189 
Links  between  Lombardy,  Roussillon, 

and  Catalonia,  410-414 
Lombardy,  Roussillon,  and  Catalonia, 

links  between,  410-414 
Lourdes,  114-115 
Luz  from  Lourdes,  116 
,,    funeral  customs,  119 
,,    the  Templars' Church,  1 17-1 19 
Luzenac,  179 

the  church,  180 

M 
Moissac,  392-405 

great     doorway,      396-401, 

403-405 
historical  notes,  392-394 
the  church,  401-403 


INDEX 


417 


Moissac,  the  cloister.,  394-396 

Montauban,  392 

Mont  Louis,  railway  to,  253-254 

Montrejeau,  151 

Morlaas,  101-105 

Church  of  S.  Foy,  102-105 
,,         Mint  of  the  Counts,  79 

N 
Narbonne,  325-339 

Cathedral,  330-333 
,,  ,,  treasury,    332- 

333 
,>  ,,  cloister,  333 

Church  of  S.  Paul  Serge, 
334-336 
,,  ,,  remains     of 

cloister,  336, 

337 
history,  329,  330,  338 
,,  Roman  remains,  327-329, 

337 
Navarre,  58 

Navarrenx,  76 

Notre  Dame  de  Tramesagues,  181 

Novempopuli,  2 

Novempopulonia,  i 

O 

Oloron, 105-113 

Church  of  S.  Croix,  106-108 
S.  Marie,  108-111 
history,  111-112 
Orthez,  81-90 

,,      assassination   of   Castellan    of 

Lourdes,  86,  87 
,,      Castle  and  Tour  Moncade,  83, 
84 
curious  costumes,  89,  186 
,,      house  of  Jeanne  d'Albret,  88 
tragedy   of   Gaston   Phoebus's 

son,  85,  86 
the  bridge,  81-83 


Palalda,  316-318 
Pau,  98-101 


Pau,  the  castle,  gg 
Perpignan,  225-236 

Chapel  of    the  "  Dcvot  " 
Crucifix,  231 
,,  funeral   service  in  Cathe- 

dral, 236 
history,  226-227 
La  Loge,  233 
Maison  Julia,  234 
,,  other  churches,  232-233 

,,  other  houses,  235 

S.  Jean  le  Vieux,  227-228 

the  castillet,  226 

the  cathedral,  22g-232 

Prades,  255 

arcade  from  S.  Michel  de 

Cuxa,  258 
the  church,  257-258 
Puivert,  the  castle,  207-208 
Pyrenees     Orientales,     history     and 
topography,  222-225 

Q 

Ouillan,  208,  211,  218 


R 

Rieux-Minervois,  347-353 

Church  of  S.  Marie,  349-352 
Roussillon,  10,  11 

characteristics  of  the  art 

of,  406-410 
characteristics  of  people, 

13.  19 
,,  Arab  type,  14 

passion  for  liberty,  15 
Ruscino  (Castel  Rossello),  224 


S.  Andre  de  Sor^de,  309-312 
St.  Bertrand  de  Comminges,  126-150 
ancient  history,  127-129 
,,  Church  of  S.  J  ust,  Valca- 

brdre,  129-134 
,,  ,,       inscription        of 

A.D.  347,  132 

53 


4i8 


INDEX 


St.  Bertrand,  Church  of,  S.  Just,  Valca- 
brere,  north   door, 

132-134 
,,  conspiracy  of  Gondo- 

vald,  134-135 
,,  Porte  Cabirol,  137 

„  Porte  Majou,  137 

„  S.    Bertrand    himself, 

137.  138 
„  the      Canons'     choir, 

143-146 
„  the     cathedral,     139- 

150 
„  the  cloister,  149-150 

„  the  organ,  146 

,,  the  treasury,  147-148 

St.  Gaudens,  152-155 

the  church,  152-154 
S.  Genis  des  Fontaines,  306-309 
St.  Girons,  155-159 

Church  of  S.  Vallier,  158- 

159 
St.  Lizier,  159-177 

,,         lower  town,  166-175 

cathedral  in  upper    town, 

164-165 
historical  notes,  162-164 
the  bridge,  176 
the  cloister,  171-175 
,,         the    upper    town     (Gallo- 
Roman  enceinte),  161 
treasure    of    the    lower 
church,  175-176 
St.  Macaire,  30-43 

,,  medieval     fortifications, 

34-35 
Place    du    Marche    and 

medieval  houses,  35 
S.  Sauveur,  37-43 
S.  Martin  de  Fenouillar,  304-305 
S.  Martin  du  Canigou,  277-283 

ascent  to  the  abbey,  285 
capitals  from  the  cloister, 

282-283 
the  upper  church,  281 
the  crypt,  281-282 
St.  Papoul,  363-367 


St.  Paul  de  Fenouillet,  219-220 

S.   Raymond,  architect  of  S.  Sernin, 

370-372 
St.  Sever,  51-58 

,,         Gallo-Roman  mosaic,  57 
the  abbey  church,  52-57 

carved    capitals, 
55-56 
Salses,  the  fort,  223 
Sauveterre  de  Beam,  66-75 

castle  and  forti- 
fications,  69- 

71 
reformed 

church,  74 
Romanesque 
church,  70-73 
the    bridge,    or 
toll  -  station, 
68 
Sauveterre  to  Oloron,  75-76 
Sentein,  fortified  church,  189-192 
Serrabona,  the  church,  242-251 

the  road  to  the  abbey,  241 
Sotiates,  i 

Spanish  gipsies,  177-178 
Sus,  76 

T 
Tarbelli,  i 
Tarbes,  121-126 

a  child's  funeral,  124 
Church  of  S.  Teresa,  124 
Cloister  of  S.  Sever  de  Rus- 

tan, 125-126 
damage  of  wars  of  religion, 

121 
Jardin  Massey,  124 
Notre  Dame  de  la  Sede,  122- 
124 
Taurinya,  267 
Tet  Valley,  252-254 
Toulouse,  367-379 

caps  in  the    Museum,  375- 

376 
Cathedral,  377 
historical  notes,  378-379 


INDEX 


419 


Toulouse,  S.  Sernin,  368-377 

,,         caps  in  transepts  and  tri- 

forium,  371-374 
,,         caps  in  crypt,  369 

Treuga  Domini,  289 


Valley  of  the  Tech,  303-325 
\'ascons,  3 


Veneharni,  i 
Vernet-les-Bains,  2S4 

,,  Le    Vieux    Vernet, 

284-286 
,,  Le    Vieux    Vernet, 

the  church,  286 
Villefranche-le-Conflent,  268-271 

,,  ,,  the    church, 

268-271 


THE    END 


BILLING  AND  SONS,   LTD.,    PRINTERS,   CUILDFORU 


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